Heimatfront Episode Four: Man of War
by CaptainDavidBlake
Summary: Eastern Germany, April 16, 1945 – The final Soviet assault begins, the massive army swarming over Germany's last lines of defense. While the girls from the Baderberg Panzer Squadron wait for the moment when they will be once again thrown into the hellfire, they will need to come to terms with their new reality, and the recruits replacing those they have lost.
1. New Blood

DISCLAIMER

1 - This is a fanwork made for fun and to spread the love for all things _Girls Und Panzer_ and History around. _Girls Und Panzer_ belongs to its legal owners, as well as its characters and story. Also the show is awesome and you should really buy the DVDs.

2 - I need to thank BlueJay62, F-14 Tomcat Lover, FenrirWolf, Karelwolf, Kite Tanril, Rogue Baron, Soviet Fox, Theralion,Yemi Hikari and the helpful guys at the Girls Und Panzer FaceBook group for all the help and support. The good parts of this fic only exist thanks to them. The bad parts, though, are all mine.

* * *

I

NEW BLOOD

The columns were growing bigger, or so it seemed to Sergeant Martin Navrátilová as the two vehicles roared past the clustered refugees crawling along the edge of the road. Tired and ailing old men, desperate women, scared young maidens, and crying children holding to their mother's skirts, all carrying with them the few possessions they had left. The lucky ones managed to get some wheel carts or even one of the few horses not expropriated by the _Wehrmacht_, but the others had to carry what they had in whatever bags they could find.

To Martin it was surprising how loud those people could be that early in the morning. Yelling, crying and moaning formed a constant ruckus that trounced even the roaring of the vehicles' engines and the whining of the mighty iron tracks. It was despair that moved them, and made their mouths spout pleas and insults to the very heavens.

As the sky got clearer the landscape beyond the road also got more distinct. It didn't present anything pleasant, though. Columns of smoke rose all across the horizon, marking battlefields, burning towns, or aircraft crash sites, all the horrors brought forth by the final push of the so-called Allies perfectly clear just by looking at the sky. With any luck, Martin's convoy wouldn't come cross any Soviet air patrol at that time, but he knew he was pushing his luck. The concentric lines of defense formed by the 12th and the 9th Armies _should_ maintain most enemies at bay. It was an uneasy lull in the fighting for those deep inside said defenses, caused by current focus of the Soviets in the 9th Army in the East, while they fought all the way up to Berlin.

The country was agonizing, Martin realized as he glanced back at the people on the edge of the road. The faces went by in a blur as the vehicles drove past them. All of those civilians were trying to get to the West, where they hoped the Americans and the British could be more merciful to them then the Soviets ever would. Berlin wasn't safe anymore, Germany was dying. And yet, Martin still expected to do his job, to, somehow, manage to help his countrymen with what could only be described as a daring sacrifice.

Although young, Martin understood what he was about to get into. He had turned eighteen just three days ago, on April 16, the day the Soviets started their final offensive. Now officially an adult, he found not much had changed, only the number of springs he had endured.

Sighing, he glanced at the sun, lazily rising from behind the distant hills. To his left stood the long barrel of the legendary 88mm KwK 36 main gun of the Tiger tank he was commanding. Tjessen, the driver, was sitting in his post, on the other side of the gun, driving the 60 tons of machinery with great care. Mostly because the vehicle wasn't at all a standard _Panzer_ VI, but instead a prototype of the Porsche version of the tank, the one casted aside when the Henschel model was chosen as the new heavy tank of the _Wehrmacht_ back in 1942. That last prototype of the Porsche version had been resting in an anonymous warehouse since then, before being overhauled back into working order for the last ditch defense of Germany.

Even so it remained the troublesome machine it had always been, prone to breakdowns in either the twin engine or its complex automotive system. So, Tjessen drove it warily, trying not to strain the machine too much. The slow driving also made Martin come to the conclusion that they would be arriving late to their new outfit.

"Thirty kilometers without a hitch," Martin spoke to his mike, "must be a new record."

"Don't jinx it, commander." Tjessen replied, absolutely serious.

Martin smirked at his remark. Tjessen was the youngest member of his crew, being just 15 years old. He was ferociously dedicated to his work, though. Martin clearly remembered the look on his face when he first saw the Tiger (P), overwhelmed with awe.

Deciding to let him be for now, Martin climbed out of the radio-operator's post and leaned over the massive gun mantlet to look back at the Busin-Näg truck trailing behind the tank. The current turret crew, Sulzberger and Hössler, was now in the truck's cabin, the later driving it. The young men were very good friends, and the commander could see them talking and laughing while following the lead vehicle.

Although, as the commander, Martin should be with them in the turret, the training had shown that those two young men made a formidable fire team, with Suzlberger acting as both observer and loader, and Hössler operating the gun. They clearly understood each other, so Martin had decided to keep them as a team inside the turret, while he himself sat in the radio-operator's post to coordinate with other units. It wasn't the best of layouts, but was what made sense with the men he had.

Standing in the back of the truck was a third vehicle. It was a small _Hetzer_ tank destroyer, based on the chassis of the Czech _Panzer_ 38(t) tank. It looked much like a doghouse with wheels and a 75mm gun sticking out of the front. Unfortunately the turret less vehicle was out of order, but the people back at the staging area had told him his new unit, the 77th _Panzergrenadiers_, had some mechanical wizards in their associated tank squadron who could probably find a way to repair it.

Strangely enough, the officer who'd told that to Martin had done so with an ironic smirk. The young tank commander found that strange, but decided to accept his words at face value and move on without thinking on it too much.

While the tank and the truck moved down the road the refugee column started to get less dense. Perhaps there weren't that many people left in the region, anyway. As Martin contemplated this fact the Tiger (P) growled, coughed, and yanked forward, coming to a sudden halt that almost threw the commander into the ground, had he not held to the gun barrel at the right moment. The engine went silent and the truck had to break hard to avoid crashing into the massive war machine.

As Martin looked to the smoke pouring out of the engine compartment, Tjessen opened his hatch to look at him.

"You had to jinx it, didn't you, commander?" He yelled.

* * *

Martin and his crew arrived at the 77th _Panzergrenadiers_' camp a couple hours too late and with the sun already up in the clear blue sky above. Fortunately the repairs didn't take too long, but they still made Martin anxious due to such a breach in the protocol.

The camp itself was set in a small abandoned village or, more exactly, what remained of it. The buildings were little more than ruins, having suffered a bombardment some time ago. As it seemed, the barrage had happened before the 77th moved in. There were also tents, trenches, and shelters built among the surrounding trees and fences. The bulky Tiger and the loyal truck moved hesitantly among the troops packing the streets, going back and forth, doing errands or preparing their gear for the moment they would also be thrown into the battle for Berlin. Men too young and too old mixed together in the type of mismatched unit so common on those desperate days.

After a while, Martin realized he was lost. He had orders to get to the motor pool, but couldn't find it. So he ordered Tjessen to park in front of a relatively intact building marked as a supply warehouse. After climbing to the roof of the radio-operator's post, Martin looked down and found a staff sergeant leaning against the fence, smoking a cigarette and glancing casually at the Tiger.

"_Wachtmeister_, sir," Martin called while he saluted, "could you please tell me where the motor pool is?"

The older man didn't reply immediately, instead observing the iron beast idling in front of the building with what could only be described as passing interest.

"So, more new guys?" He finally said. "How long does this piece of junk go between breakdowns?"

The observation made Martin narrow his eyes in barely contained spite.

"I guarantee you, sir, that this tank is in perfect working order. I would prefer if you didn't made unpatriotic observations like that."

"Unpatriotic?" The sergeant grinned maliciously. "You still think that maters? Haven't you noticed? We're just more wood to throw at the fire."

At the moment Martin felt an urge to make a proper reply, regardless of the ranks. But before he could open his mouth a loud commotion came from inside the building. There were men yelling and swearing, and then a motorcycle with a sidecar burst through the open backyard gate, turning tightly to avoid crashing into the building on the other side of the street. The occupant on the sidecar glanced back at the two troopers running after them.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" It was a girl, Martin realized! He also noticed the white shirts and the dark-blue skirts typical of the BDM that she and the driver were wearing.

"Send us the bill!" The driver yelled, before accelerating down the road, leaving the two soldiers behind, shaking their fists in the air and swearing at them.

"What happened now?" The sergeant asked the frustrated pursuers.

"It was the tankers again!" One of them replied. "Took the sweet potatoes we had left!"

"Damn them! _Hauptmann_ Lauda will be pissed!"

Now Martin was completely confused. He once again tried to engage in conversation with the staff sergeant.

"The tankers?"

The man turned back at him and for a moment it seemed he was about to say something. Then he reconsidered, before allowing a wide grin to spread over his face.

"Well, _Unteroffizier_, we were talking about how to get to the motor pool before this interruption, wasn't that so?"

"Y-yes. Yes it was, sir." The sudden change in the sergeant's disposition made Martin slightly uneasy.

"Very well, go in the direction that motorcycle took, and then turn right before the last building, then left after you get out of the village. It's among a set a trees, near a windmill."

"Thank you, sir." Martin and the staff sergeant exchanged a short salute, and then the tank commander dropped into the vehicle and ordered Tjessen to resume march, the truck following suit.

The instructions were spot on, and when Martin got to the motor pool he felt a little silly for not having found it before. It was mounted on what must have been a farm, with a windmill and a couple of tiny buildings on the farthest corner, and a short stone wall built all around. He had to ask the two sentinels to open the frail wooden gate and allow him to go in. Once the Tiger entered, Martin saw the other four armored vehicles already parked there, hidden under camouflage nets.

He recognized a captured M3 Lee Medium Tank, a StuG III, a _Marder_ III, and a _Panzer _IV. The later was being modified to mount armor skirts around the turret and along the flanks. A simpler modification to place an MG42 on the roof had already being implemented. The Tiger and the loaded truck came to a halt right in front of those vehicles.

With professional calm, the newcomers abandoned the vehicles. Martin jumped to the ground and looked around. To the left he saw some girls welding the skirt supports on the side of the _Panzer _IV, and a motorcycle with a sidecar parked nearby. He recognized the later from before, which only added to the questions in his head.

Looking to the other side he saw a girl that seemed to have materialized from nowhere looking at the Tiger with great enthusiasm, the mouth open in a wide grin, her dark eyes glittering with joy, and her hands clasped over her chest. Martin recognized the girl who was driving the motorcycle now parked near the _Panzer_.

"This is a Porsche Tiger, isn't it?" The girl asked no one in particular.

Feeling the situation was starting to get too weird to his tastes, Martin decided to act in order to regain control. With the hands behind his back, he approached the girl.

"Indeed it is." He told her.

"I've never seen one of these." The girl said. "I mean, I've seen a few Henschel Tigers, but never a Porsche."

Before Martin could make his own question, the girl jumped to the front of the vehicle to inspect the main gun.

"Oh, it's called _Leopon_!"

The observation actually forced Martin to look back at the KwK 36. Someone had painted the word '_Leopon_' on the right side of the barrel, and no one had erased it during the vehicle's overhaul. Shaking his head, Martin tried to remain focused.

"I'm sorry, _Fräulein_," he extended a hand to see if he could get the girl's attention, "but what are you doing here? Isn't this the 77th _Panzergrenadier _Battalion's motor pool?"

The girl had to make an evident effort to divert her attention from the tank to the young man beside her. She shrugged.

"Yes, it is. I'm with the tank squadron."

"You're what?" Martin's question came out completely flat. The girl had to be mocking him.

Now the girl started to feel uneasy with his attitude. Suited her well, Martin thought. A girl shouldn't be jesting with a soldier, much less when the country was in such a desperate situation.

"I am." She finally said, her voice sounding a little more serious. "I'm the loader of that tank over there." She pointed at the _Panzer_ IV.

It was evident to Martin that the conversation would get him nowhere. Looking to the other side he saw two more people approaching the Tiger. Another girl, this one with light-brown hair, and a large Master Sergeant with an arm strapped to his chest.

"Ah, Ysabelle," the newly-arrived girl said, "Have you and Ursel managed to get some supplies?"

Apparently excited to have that girl around, Ysabelle turned towards her.

"Yes, _Führerin_ Maria. Ursel went ahead to deliver them."

Maria made a slight frown, as if she'd realized that the supply pick up had gone exactly the way Martin had seen in front of the warehouse.

"I presume you asked for the _Wachtmeister_'s authorization."

"But of course! He was very happy to help."

The girl named Maria crossed her arms.

"Then we might still have him asking how we're doing, right?"

"Most probably."

Both girls started chuckling, and the Master Sergeant face palmed.

"You have to stop doing that." The large man said. "The _Oberst_ can't cover for you if you keep up with this."

"But there aren't any proper supplies left!" Ysabelle replied.

At this point Martin decided to step in the conversation. He still had to report his arrival.

"_Stabswachtmeister_," he said to the master sergeant, "I'm _Unteroffizier_ Martin Navrátilová, and I need to report to the commander of the Baderberg Tank Squadron."

"I presume you are the reinforcements we were told about." Maria said while the sergeant remained silent. She extended a hand to Martin. "Welcome to the squadron."

Martin didn't return the gesture, instead glancing at the large man in front of him, feeling increasingly more anxious.

"Sir?"

"Well, _Unteroffizier_, you wanted to talk to the commander of the squadron, here she is." He pointed to the girl beside him. Exasperated, Martin looked at her. Maria was almost a head shorter than him, and it felt wrong to look at that pretty face and see a superior officer.

"Her?" Now he was certain to have lost all the control he could have ever hoped to muster over the situation.

"Anyhow," the master sergeant said to Maria while Martin digested the reality of his situation, "isn't the _Oberst_ waiting for you?"

"He is." She glanced around, checking how the maintenance and modifications to the tanks were going. Then she turned back at the big man. "_Stabswachtmeister_ Aschenbrenner, could you and Ysabelle take care of things around here?"

"But, of course."

"Good." Then she nodded at the newly arrived tank commander. "Martin, you can come with me."

She started walking away, but Martin was still too dumbfounded to react.

"Son, didn't you hear the lady?" Aschenbrenner asked him. Unable to find any suitable reply, Martin simply saluted and went after Maria. His crew, standing in parade position beside the Tiger, stayed behind, staring at the events unfolding in front of them with silent bewilderment.

Martin's mind was still too confused to put together everything that had just happened, and his stay in the Baderberg Tank Squadron was just starting.


	2. Girls and Panzers

**Author's notes:**

So here we are yet again, following our favorite tankers as they are dragged about the worst conflict in human history. Things are about to get truly serious, but we still have people to get to know and others who want to have a say about what they think.

As always, thank you guys for all the support, the comments, the help, and the enthusiasm. This project wouldn't be possible without those who've been with me since the very start, and those who enjoy what it has become. Thank you.

* * *

II

GIRLS AND PANZERS

"Glad you could join us, _Fräulein_ Nitzschmann."

Apparently unfazed by Colonel Messner's sarcastic tone, Maria advanced to the middle of the room, where the rest of the 77th command staff was already present, sitting in a few chairs turned to the big map the colonel had unfolded over the farthest wall. Most of the men turned to see the two newcomers enter the room. Martin couldn't say he was too happy to be there, contrary to what he'd expected when he started his trip that night. By the contrary, he felt embarrassed for entering there following a girl.

The battalion's HQ was set in a small house a hundred meters away from the motor pool. Surprisingly enough, it still had a ceiling, although the outer walls were buckled with holes punched through by large pieces of shrapnel. The living room, where the meeting was taking place, was still inhabitable, the broken windows covered by blankets to make it a little more comfortable.

"I'm sorry, _Herr Oberst_." Maria replied to Messner's remark. "I needed to check on my people on the way here."

Messner sighed.

"I guess it couldn't be helped." Then he looked at Martin. "Who's him? I don't recall having seen that face before."

"This is _Unteroffizier_ Martin Navrátilová, and he is the commander of the crew the High Command has sent us. He also brought with him two new armored vehicles and a heavy truck."

"Good. That also solves the issue with the spare crew." Messner pointed at two empty chairs. "Have a seat."

With that issue dealt with, Messner and the rest of those present turned their attentions back to the map. Martin realized it represented Eastern Germany, with a large circle drawn with a pencil on the center and the word 'Berlin' written over it. Arrows coming from north and south pointed to said circle. It wasn't hard for Martin to comprehend what they represented.

"Now, where were we?" The colonel began. "As I was saying, the 9th Army is still engaging the 1st Belorussian Front in the Seelow Heights, but things being as they are, they won't last much longer. This will allow Zhukov to descend directly onto Berlin. Meanwhile we still have Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front coming from the south. At this point the question isn't _if_ the 12th will disengage the Americans and turn to face the Ivan, but _when_.

"Due to our current location, we're among the units closer to the Soviets, so have no illusions, when the time comes, we'll be at the forefront of the advance. I want you to have your men ready to depart at any moment. Keep with the frontline discipline and keep making the drills." He turned to Maria. "This goes for you too, Nitzschmann."

One of the officers present raised a hand.

"What about the reinforcements we were promised?" He asked, his voice betraying his skepticism. "Is this how we're supposed to fight? Understaffed and with a bunch of old farts and kids barely out of the kindergarten?" He glanced at Maria. "No offense."

"None taken." She replied.

Almost imperceptibly, Messner sighed.

"This is what we have."

"Any news about fuel or ammunition?" Another officer asked.

"No. For now we'll have to work with or own stockpiles."

A blonde officer let out a clearly forced laugh.

"Without reinforcements and without supplies, then?" He said. "I bet the Ivan is shitting his pants right now."

Messner narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased by the man's attitude.

"Composure, Havoc." He told him. "And that goes for all of you. We're still fighting here. Don't you forget about the civilians in Berlin, or about our comrades holding the line. The war isn't over yet."

"It could very well be…" Someone mumbled behind Martin. His voice was so low that he doubted Messner had heard it, but to Martin it clearly showed how fed up those men were with that war. He realized some had been fighting without stop since the unit was formed in last August, and many of the officers had been serving way before that, a few, like the colonel, had even seen the very first shots of the whole conflict.

But Messner was right. There was still something left to defend, and it would be wrong to give up without at least making the enemies bleed for it. Maybe, just maybe, it would be possible to force some sort of deal if the final resistance was sturdy enough.

The meeting lasted for a few more minutes before everyone was dismissed and ordered to return to their posts. The 77th _Panzergrenadiers_ would need to be ready to fight, regardless of their willingness, and actual ability, to do so. With his hands in his pockets, Martin followed Maria back to the motor pool. He was embroiled in his own thoughts and barely noticed when the girl greeted the sentinels as they passed by the gates.

"Now that we are here, I think you should come to see the squadron's HQ." Maria said, taking the young tank commander out of his digression. He stood there, in the middle of the motor pool, the sounds of the teams working on the tanks echoing around him. To his right his crew and some of the girls were occupied making the _Hetzer_ roll down a makeshift ramp placed in the back of the heavy truck.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Martin finally replied. Then Maria flashed an incredibly sweet smile and gestured for him to follow. The young man shook his head, trying to subdue the soft warmth that suddenly grew on his cheeks. Yes, she was pretty, but he was a soldier, God-damn it! He had to keep his composure!

Swallowing thickly, he followed Maria to the old windmill dominating the farthest edge of the motor pool. As they passed by the wooden door it became evident to Martin that the place was incredibly Spartan, lacking almost any furniture and with the old stone walls showing some signs of decay. But such condition was to be expected from that kind of impromptu base. The first floor had a claustrophobic hall and two doors leading to small rooms. From behind the left door came young male voices, engaged in some sort of discussion. Between the doors, a simple wooden stair led to the second flood, and Martin followed Maria through there.

Apparently the squadron's office had been placed on the second floor, which was basically a single division with a small window behind a table in the farthest wall. A new set of stairs led to the third and last floor, but Martin didn't go there. Instead he straightened as the two girls sitting in chairs near the table turned to see who was coming. One of them was short, with her brown hair combed in twin pigtails. She leaned back on her chair and crossed her legs as Maria approached her. The other girl simply raised her head from the papers in her hands. She had dark shoulder-length hair and glasses.

"Who's that?" The short girl asked.

"It's _Unteroffizier_ Martin," Maria replied, making a point of presenting the tanker with his first name, much to his embarrassment. "He's the commander of our new tank. He has also brought a surplus _Hetzer_ with him, which means that you girls finally have a new _panzer_."

"Great!" The girl leaned forward, her feet dropping heavily on the wooden floor. A mischievous smirk spread across her face. "That means we can count with everyone for the next fight."

"You wouldn't like to be left behind on the next battle, now would you?" The girl with the glasses pointed out.

"Neither would you, Monica!"

Maria chuckled at their banter for a moment.

"Unfortunately the _Hetzer_ is out of order." She told the other girls. "We will need to repair it if we want to give it any use."

The short girl waved dismissively at that remark.

"We still have some spare parts for the _Marder_. I think Ysabelle might be able to cook something up."

Martin considered her point. The _Hetzer_ and the _Marder _III were both developed from the same chassis, the Czech-designed _Panzer_ 38(t), and some automotive parts were indeed common among them, although not all. It was reasonable that some of their spares could be swapped between them, with some modifications that is. Maria nodded at the other girl. Then she indicated her comrades with her hand.

"Martin, this is Anja, my second-in-command, and this is Monica, who's acting as the squadron's officer of logistics."

"Nice to meet you." Anja replied, before moving on to more pressing matters. She brandished a bunch of papers. "We've been counting what we have, and we're running low on everything."

"Did the _Oberst_ say when would we be getting new supplies?" Monica asked, giving the reports she was holding to Maria. The leader of the Baderberg Tank Squadron sat over the table and gave a quick look at the papers before replying.

"We won't. We'll need to make do with what we have." Maria sighed, obviously unhappy to bring in the bad news.

Anja snorted. "Oh, great! We are almost out of spares, the fuel has to be shared between the whole battalion, and we only have enough ammo for a skirmish, and only if it doesn't drag out for too long." She turned to Martin. "How much ammo did you brought?"

Surprised with her bluntness, Martin took a heartbeat to come up with a reply.

"A full load for both the Tiger and the _Hetzer_."

"Then use it carefully when the time comes, because we won't be receiving any more of those!"

Martin grimaced, and nodded back at the girl.

"On another note, do you know where you'll be lodged?" Martin shook his head, prompting Anja to continue. "Down there are two doors. The right one is the storage, the other is the men's room. I would advise you to go there and mark your spot. There isn't much space and those guys are quite territorial." Then she pointed to the ceiling with her index finger. "And none of you are allowed to go up there."

"It's the girls' room." Maria said once she noticed Martin's puzzled look.

"All right, then. If you allow, I would like to rejoin my men." Martin told Maria. "We still have much to do before we can consider ourselves settled."

The girl nodded at him, adding one of those adorable smiles of hers to the gesture. Again, the young man felt his cheeks getting warm.

"You're dismissed. In case you need anything just ask, all right?"

Martin saluted. "Yes… _Führerin_?"

The girls immediately returned to their discussion about the supplies and how to organize what they had left. Meanwhile, Martin got back to the first floor. Apparently the current occupants of the boys' room were still arguing. Martin didn't even give them the benefit of knocking the door; he immediately opened it, and looked inside. There were four teenagers there, apparently of the same age as the girls upstairs. One of them, a blond young man, wearied an Afrika Korps-pattern coat and officer's hat.

The room was quite small, barely enough to contain the youngsters that would be sleeping there. There was a window, covered with a mosquito net, so the air wouldn't get too stale. Even so the room was a mess, with papers and blankets spread all around. And even a 75mm AT round, Martin noticed.

"Who are you?" The blond boy asked.

"_Unteroffizier_ Navrátilová. When were you conscripted?"

Stunned by Martin's command voice, the boys hesitated. The quickest to regain his composure was the blond one, which Martin assumed to be the leader.

"Two weeks ago. Why?"

"I'm in charge of this room now." Martin replied without preamble. "Prepare it to receive four more men. That's an order."

And then he closed the door and exited the windmill, giving the boys no time to react to his takeover.

When he reached the Tiger, the _Hetzer_ had already been unloaded from the truck and now rested beside the _Marder _III, the engine cover open to allow the mechanical crew to look inside. Martin noticed Hössler was sitting on the top of the Tiger's turret, resting for a while. He decided to join him.

"So, how was it?" Hössler asked once Martin sat beside him. The gunner of the Tiger crew was just a few months younger than the commander, and was usually a calm and considerate person, so they did get along quite well.

"I'm still trying to figure that out."

"That good?" The gunner looked at the _Hetzer_, attracted by the excited giggles of the girls surrounding it. "Where have we ended up?"

On his turn, Martin couldn't help but glance at the windmill, still thinking about that Maria Nitzschmann girl.

"That's a good question. For now we're stuck here, anyhow."

"Just promise me one thing," Hössler turned his green eyes at his commander. "If you have the chance, I would like you to assume command of the squadron. I don't intend to get killed because of some overly-excited girls."

As soon as he finished that sentence, the girls nearby burst out laughing due to something one of them said or did. The crystalline laughter filled the air, and a soft breeze shook he canopies above. But Martin didn't reply, not immediately at least. He himself was at odds about what to even think about the whole situation. For now, he could only go along with it and see what would happen.


	3. The Best First Day Ever

III

THE BEST FIRST DAY EVER

Contrary to what Martin had expected, the crew of the _Marder III_ was composed of young _Hitlerjugend_ boys. They entered the motor pool shortly after noon, in a tanker truck which they'd probably used to fetch some fuel for the combat vehicles. Evidently that the commander of the squadron would be interested in seeing what they'd managed to get, but Martin already wanted to make a few questions behind her back, so he hastened to join the boys before anyone else.

"Managed to get some fuel?" he asked after presenting himself.

"Yes, but not as much as we hoped for." A blond boy with big glasses replied. "I hope the _Führerin_ understands."

"I think she will." Martin put his hands in his uniform's pockets and observed the truck thoroughly. "So, how is she? As a commander, I mean?"

In all honesty, Martin knew that it wasn't completely right to talk about people behind their backs, but he was mostly worried with his crew. Tjessen was just a kid, roughly the same age of those he was talking to, and the others were also young and needed to be taken care of. Heck, even Martin himself was probably too young to be fighting in that war! But he'd volunteered to fight, to defend his Fatherland from the invaders. Young as he was, he'd already seen terrible things, the results of the Allied bombings, the witch-hunts of the secret police that probably had killed more innocents than the real conspirators, and also the hunger and the uncontrollable diseases.

Martin had seen it all, and got fed of standing by while others died. But he wasn't naïve either. He had some idea about how the world worked, still incomplete but gloomy enough to know he had to take care of himself and his people, because no-one else would. In spite of it, or maybe exactly because of it, he was quite surprised by the boy's reply to his question.

"She is great!" He adjusted his glasses. "She takes everything we say into consideration. It's good to feel heard for a change."

"And she's a _panzer _ace, to booth!" One of the other boys said. "I guess that's why the _Oberst_ kept her around. You can't turn down an ace."

"Oh, and she brought the other girls with her, too!" The third boy, who used an eye patch, exclaimed. He was frighteningly young, and Martin could only guess how he got that injury. "It never hurts to be surrounded by pretty girls."

"I guess..." While the one-eyed boy joyfully shared his opinion, Martin glanced back at the windmill. The boys were talking about the issue with the innocence expected of their age, but Martin felt uneasy. _It never hurts to be surrounded by pretty girls…_

Maria was already approaching the tanker truck, so Martin decided that was a good time as any to wrap up the conversation.

"Hi, Martin." Maria greeted the newcomer. She was trying to sound excited, but as it happened previously, Martin did notice the hint of exhaustion in her voice. After he nodded in silent reply, the girl turned to the crew of the _Marder_ and started inquiring them about the fuel they'd managed to get, and how much they thought to be still available to the battalion.

Glancing around, Martin noticed there was a certain commotion starting to brew at the gates. The voices were growing louder, and some heads started to turn, even Maria and the boys had to interrupt their conversation. Sighing, Martin decided that he should at least see what that was about.

* * *

After the truck went through, Eren and Armin moved to get the gates closed. The frail-looking wooden gates could do nothing to stop any motivated interloper, but hopefully it would discourage most. The same went for the wall. While it was taller than most men, it wouldn't be enough to stop a trained soldier. But that was why the sentinels were there.

Eren still wasn't sure why he'd volunteered for that job. Although many in the 77th _Panzergrenadiers_, especially the reinforcements, still didn't thought the girl tankers should even be there, others were actually proud of them. Many grenadiers were still alive exactly because of what the girls did during the engagements in the previous week. So they gladly offered themselves to guard the motor pool in alternated shifts. But Eren had his own motives, as far as he could tell.

_Maria…_

"Are you still holding on to that?"

Armin's observation brought him out of his reverie. He didn't even notice he was caressing the pistol in his belt. Carefully, comprehensibly weary of the sensitive firing mechanism, Eren raised the _Luger_.

"It seems so…" He observed the pistol with only passing interest, before returning it to his belt. "It belonged to _Hauptmann_ Fokker. I might give it to the _Watchmeister_ later."

"I don't like those guns." Armin said, turning his back at the gate. "They're more trouble than they're worth."

Eren also turned to face the street. "I couldn't let the Americans get it. It would feel wrong."

Only then did the two young soldiers notice a pair of older troopers walking in their direction. They were holding to each other, their uniforms jumbled. They seemed to be in a good mood, but walked with an uneasy gait.

"Gosh…" Armin muttered. "It's still too early for that."

With a sigh, Eren shouldered his rifle and approached the two incoming troopers. He could smell the alcohol from a few meters away and felt the need to raise a hand so they wouldn't get too close.

"Halt. This is a restricted area. Please turn around."

"Oh, come on, _Unteroffizier_!" One of the men said. "Let us in."

"I cannot do that."

"But it's full of girls in there." The other drunken soldier said. "We're all going to die anyway, let us live a little before that."

Eren was now grinding his teeth. He heard Armin saying "Not this again" behind him, and couldn't agree more. Morale was slipping, and men were getting desperate. Having a bunch of young girls locked inside the motor pool didn't help either.

"Yes, yes… Just go away, will you?"

One of the men immediately swore as loud as he could. "What? Do you want to keep them all for yourself, lousy kid? I need a woman, and I will get one!"

"This is not a fricken brothel!"

Even Eren had to turn back once Armin, of all people, dropped that bomb into the conversation. He saw him brandishing his _Schmeisser_ machine-pistol, legs spread out and ready to open fire. The two offending troopers gave a step back and raised their arms. That reaction prompted Armin to keep talking.

"Do you think reinforcements like you guys can come here and treat our comrades like that? These girls have already saved our lives several times, and they're still here fighting alongside us! This battalion owns its existence to them, and anyone who mistreats them will be put in his place, do I make myself clear?"

"All right, then…" One of the offenders grumbled. His companion was about to say something, but was interrupted when the gate opened and Martin, followed by Maria, stepped out.

"What's going on in here?" Martin asked. He glanced at the two drunken men, immediately straightening and putting his hands behind his back, looking quite fearsome in spite of being much younger than any of them. Confused, Armin simply looked at him.

"He's one of the new guys." Maria explained as she noticed his expression.

"It's nothing." Eren said, turning at the offenders. "These two grenadiers were about to leave, isn't that so?"

Finding themselves outnumbered and outranked, the older troopers simply nodded back at him, and quickly turned away, walking the dirt road back into the nearby village, their steps faltering as they zigzagged all the way back. Eren didn't take his eyes out of them, not even when Maria placed herself beside him.

"It's that problem again?" She asked.

"It's that problem again…" Eren replied, shrugging as he felt the tension leaving his body. He still felt somewhat disgruntled by the attitude of his fellow men towards those girls.

But then he turned towards Maria, and flashed the best smile he could muster.

"Don't you worry, Nitzschmann," he told her, "we the veterans of the battalion will keep you girls safe. Just promise you keep covering our backs like you did before."

Maria was initially surprised by his sudden enthusiasm, but then she smiled back at him, the same tired smile she'd been wearing since the battle near Leipzig.

"It's a promise. I will take care of all of you." She looked back at the drunken men. One of them had tripped, and the other was now helping him to get back to his feet so they could keep moving. "Now, if you don't mind…"

She walked back into the motor pool, leaving the three young soldiers alone.

"Isn't she great?" Armin asked Martin.

"I guess…" The tank commander replied.

Meanwhile, Eren adjusted his helmet with the index finger, again returning to his introspection. Maria had walked away, but she'd left a pack of butterflies flying in his stomach, and he didn't know what to think about that.


	4. Rainbow in the Dark

IV

RAINBOW IN THE DARK

The eventide was lazily settling in. As the sky became darker, and the first stars started twinkling in the sky above, an uneasy calm descended over the Baderberg Farming Complex. In spite of the typical warm spring day, the arrival of the night brought with it a cold breeze that soon covered the grass with dew. Even the girls who made most of the workforce of the complex quickly vacated the workplaces to withdraw to the barracks, or the main office building to deal with any remaining paperwork.

Looking beyond the window in her office, Anni Schon's gaze settled upon the orange-red sky, the reflection of the last sunlight on the upper atmosphere assuming the appearance of some terrible omen. It made her recall the group that had departed with those obsolete tanks, just a couple weeks ago. Among them were some of the best and brightest young maidens she had ever known, and whose whereabouts were now unknown to her. Some Army officer had requested their presence among his ranks, and there hadn't been any news ever since.

Schon's gaze dropped to the window-still, although her mind was lost in something else. She remembered those girls who had returned to Baderberg after the ill-fated trip meant to deliver the tanks to the Army, and their empty gazes, their horrendous wounds. And they even said one of her girls had died back there. What had those madmen subjected her girls to? A woman wasn't supposed to fight! That was a man's job. Her girls' mission was simply to deliver the tanks and return home. What kind of lunacy had taken hold of the girls who refused to return and the men which stayed with them?

The men…

"Anja, why didn't you obey my orders?" Schon uttered, her voice low and sad.

Dark, intolerable, theories crossed her mind. She'd heard about units that kept some girls, either captured in far-away lands or enticed from local villages, with them to appease the men, traumatized and worn due to the constant fighting. Was that what was happening to her girls? Schon shook her head, unable to even bear the thought. Had she really failed that much in her task? Had she failed her girls and the families that had entrusted them to her guard?

Fortunately for Schon, before her thoughts could become far too depressing, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. She straightened, and only then noticed the tears running down her left cheek. What a terrible breach in decorum! Schon cleaned them away with the back of her hand, and then turned to face the door.

"Come in."

The girl that entered the room was no one other than Karina Schumacher, one of the very few that had returned from the trip to deliver the tanks. The others, Anke Saks and Tabea König, had been too traumatized to explain what they'd lived through, and thus it was Karina who made the account of what happened and the terrifying battle against the British paratroopers. Having her entering the room after reminiscing about the issue made Schon gasp all too clearly.

Karina hesitated as she noticed her leader's uneasiness, inadvertently giving her the time she needed to regain her composure.

"What is it?" Schon asked, trying not to sound too upset. The girl in front of her presented a small paper.

"We've just received a telegram from Berlin." She said. "It seems to be something important."

Schon accepted the telegram.

"Thank you. Is it all?" Karina nodded. "Very well, you're dismissed."

The girl left the room, leaving Schon once again alone with her thoughts. She turned back at the window, and only then started to read the message.

"To Baderberg Farm Complex, inform health issue with Reinhard elder. Request presence Meike Reinhard Hospital Berlin, urgent."

Meike Reinhard… One of the girls who'd disappeared two weeks ago. Schon creased the paper.

"There's nothing I can about this." She mumbled to herself. Indeed there wasn't. For now, those girls, wherever they were, would have to fend for themselves.

* * *

She was feeling uneasy, and for a moment the instruments seemed almost alien to her. Meike couldn't avoid the sensation that something, somewhere, was very wrong. For once, she feared for her grandmother. A hard-working farmer, she'd been the one who raised Meike since her parents died in a car accident seven years ago. Unfortunately her health had been deteriorating for a while. Meike feared that she could fall and hurt herself, because her balance was not what it used to be. This was the main reason why she insisted for the girl to join the BDM, so she could learn how to take care of herself and make friends. In case something would happen down the road.

Since then she'd lived alone in her home in the rural area of Postdam, and she even managed to go to the local hospital from time to time when her footing betrayed her. Far away in Baderberg, Meike couldn't return the favor her grandmother did and take care of her. It made her feel selfish.

Even so, she tried to shrug such worries off as best as she could. For some reason she herself couldn't comprehend, she'd decided to go along with that misaimed adventure that was the Baderberg Tank Squadron, and now had to discover why the speedometer of the _Panzer _IV wasn't working properly. It was one of the several instruments that had stopped functioning during the last engagement with the Americans, probably due to all the abuse the machine had to endure in that desperate fight.

Meike was fiddling with the electrical cables when a loud 'meow' got her attention. Peering outside of the driver's hatch, she noticed a big white and brown cat laying on the tank's glacis, right in front of her. The cat raised his head and looked back at her with his big green eyes, before resting his head among his front paws once again, looking ever so lazy.

"Cute…" Meike muttered. Beside her, Simone also peeked through her own hatch, and yelped in joy once she saw the cat.

"Would you look at that?" The cat raised his head, probably alarmed by her tone, but he wasn't quick enough. The main gun was raised, so it was mostly out of Simone's way, and in a split-second the cat was already wrapped by the girl's arms. "He's so fluffy!"

The animal wasn't aggressive by any stretch, and actually withstood the mistreatment with some contained dignity. After all, it wasn't in his nature to humiliate himself by lowering to the human standards and make a scene. So, in his infinite wisdom, he allowed Simone to hold him and show him to the girls sitting on the top of the _Panzer_ IV's turret.

"Look at this!" Simone exclaimed, knowing very well what kind of reaction she would get.

Maria and Anja were inspecting the welding in the armor skirts placed around the hull and the turret. Only half of the later covering was finished, but they wanted to make sure everything was being done properly. The survival of Anglerfish Team in future engagements would depend on that, after all. The cat, though, was enough to make Maria burst into an unusual yelp of pure joy.

"It's a cat!" A wide grin embellished her features, and it made Simone's grow wider. "So cute!"

Turning to the front again, Simone dropped the cat onto the glacis, while behind her the two girls commanding the squadron resumed their conversation. Showing incredible patience, the animal remained seated and even started licking his paw.

"Oh, we should keep him around and make him our new mascot, what do you think?" Simone asked Meike. Only then did she notice the gloomy expression in her friend's face. "Hey, is everything all right?"

Meike glanced at her, but it took her a couple seconds to order her thoughts.

"I-it's… It's nothing, really."

It wasn't even an attempt to hide her insecurities. Simone grimaced and leaned over the armor plating between the two hatches.

"Come on, I've known you for far too long for you to try to dissuade me with something so feeble. What's going on?"

Glancing at her friend, Meike realized she was completely right. Simone had been one of the first people she'd felt close to when she arrived in Baderberg. With the time, she'd come to consider her a friend, a label she seldom gave anyone. And for this, she knew it was worthless to hide anything from her. Especially something that was getting her that worked up.

"I was thinking about my grandma." She confessed. "Last time I knew something about her she was getting worse. She even called to tell me it was nothing, but I know how she is."

"Meike…"

"She took care of me since my parents died." Meike shivered as painful memories flushed in. "I owe her so much. And…" Her voice trailed off for a moment. "I haven't had any news for quite a while. And with Berlin besieged… It gets me worried."

Simone cocked her head, trying to come up with some reply that could cheer her friend. Surprisingly enough, Maria beat her to the punch.

"I'll try to pull some strings with _Herr _Messner and see if we can get any news from Berlin. Don't you worry."

The two girls in the hull turned towards Maria, who sported a confident smile on her face.

"See?" Simone asked Meike. "There's always a solution."

"I guess so…" Meike replied, putting a faint smile. At that point the cat started meowing again, upset with the lack of attention those meager humans were now giving him. Not to have him let down, Simone quickly grabbed him again, holding the animal close to her chest.

"He's really fluffy." She exclaimed. "You should pet him. It will make you feel better."

Didn't seem like a bad idea. Meike timidly extended her hand. She knew cats could be unpredictable, and some people she knew had some nasty scars to remind them of some encounters with those animals, even some that were apparently tame. But that one over there seemed to be exceptionally fond of people. She finally touched his head and the cat immediately started purring.

"See? It's not that bad."

And with that, Meike's smile opened slightly. She was still worried with the only family she had left, but, at least for the moment, she could enjoy that unusual experience.

Behind them, in the turret, Maria and Anja also looked at their friends with wide smiles. They were about to wrap things up over there, anyway.

"Well, I guess I'll see if I can talk with _Herr _Messner." Maria said, leaning to come down from the tank.

"Just one more thing," Anja said, making Maria stand where she was. "What do you think of the new guy?"

Realizing she would need some time to consider her question, Maria crouched and glanced around. The massive Tiger (P) was parked right beside the _Panzer_ IV, but the crew was nowhere to be seen. Martin was in the boy's room in the windmill to, in his own words, "put some order on that mess," so there wasn't any risk of any of them overhearing the conversation, and that was probably why Anja was bringing the issue at that moment.

"I don't yet know." Maria finally replied. "I do like him, seems professional and down-to-earth."

"I don't trust him. Too full of himself." Anja retorted. "Makes me think of one of those wolf-dogs, you know? Seems trustworthy enough at a first glance, but will bite your hand off if you give him too much leeway."

"You think?"

"He came from Berlin. You know how that place is full of Nazi sycophants. Just keep your eyes peeled. We need to take care of our people."

Indeed they had. Maria could agree on that point. She wasn't sure about what Anja had seen in Martin that made her so wary, but she couldn't neglect her instincts either.

"Don't you worry. I won't let any of you get hurt." _Not even Martin and his men_, she thought but didn't dare to say.


	5. Erwin

V

ERWIN

While the crews of the Baderberg Tank squadron spent most of their time and effort in keeping the vehicles in working order and understanding the nuances of actually using them, there were still some older habits that they didn't discard. One of them was performing the morning exercises.

As, for now, the girls were basically confined to the motor pool, they had to exercise within its walls. Under Anja's command, they finished the routine with the second run around the perimeter, after which the squadron's second-in-command declared that they should get a shower, as usual with cold water pumped from a nearby well, and some rest, before going back to their other duties. At this point the group fragmented into the individual crews, who mostly reunited in front of their respective vehicles.

"All right, girls, the next battle may be near, and we need to organize." Augusta was standing in front of the M3 Medium, the rest of Rabbit Team making a semi-circle around her. "We cannot simply panic at the first opportunity like we did before."

"Speak for yourselves." Aaron retorted. He stood with his arms crossed, seemingly confident, although unable to hide a certain amount of uneasiness when the girls around him eyed him with incredulity.

"You cried as much as I did in the last fight!" Jule retorted, sounding ever so offended.

"I did not!"

"Oh, yes you did!" Saskia stepped in to support the other girl. "You're always saying that we will get killed."

"Maybe," Augusta said, trying to control her crew, "but that's why we need to get a hold of ourselves and start acting more professionally. Now that we've decided to stay in for the long run, we need to show the others they can count on us. Anglerfish Team had to save us on the last battle, and it would be better if we returned the favor someday. If the teams don't support each other none of us will survive this. It can't all depend on _Führerin_ Nitzschmann."

There was a moment of silence when the whole crew allowed the words to sink in. Jule embraced herself, her shoulders trembling as she remembered how close they all had been from death. Then a new voice entered the conversation.

"Don't you forget about the clean hit you've achieved against the American commander."

Rabbit Team as a whole turned to Erwin, who was standing nearby. The teenager seemed relaxed, a hand in the pocket of his coat, and the omnipresent hat disheveled. Behind him, the remaining of Hippo Team was discussing something in front of the StuG.

"But we had to sneak on them." Saskia was right, in spite of having been her who made the shot.

"That may be so," Augusta replied, "but it was something good we've did for the squadron. And we need to keep up with it."

There was some movement at the gates of the motor pool, and Erwin and Rabbit Team turned to see what was happening. The new crew was entering the space after they went for their morning run. For some reason they decided not to join the rest of the squadron in their exercises and instead went for a more intense set outside the walls. Erwin had his eyes locked onto Martin as he passed by, covered in sweat.

"I hate that guy."

"He looks mean." Constanze croaked.

"Would you believe that yesterday night he had the nerve to tell us how to organize the boys' room? He even questioned me about my how I dress!" Erwin didn't even try to hide his indignation. Although, truth be told, his clothing wasn't really appropriate, it was evident that the personnel of the 77th _Panzergrenadiers_ simply made a blind eye to it and left him be, as long as he kept crewing the tracked assault gun. After all, and taking the nature of the squadron into consideration, that wasn't by the far the worst affront it was committing.

This didn't mean that the other members of the squadron hadn't made that very same question to themselves more than once.

"Yeah, why do you wear those clothes, after all?" And Constanze was the first of those who still didn't knew to openly ask.

For a couple seconds Erwin simply stood there, staring blankly at the driver of the M3. Then he looked away, his gaze lost in infinity.

"This uniform belonged to my father. He fought under Rommel in North Africa." He shrugged, as if the mere memories he was invoking burdened uneasily over his shoulders. "And he never came back."

"Oh…" It was the only thing Constanze managed to reply. Aaron, of course, already knew of the story, and it wasn't ever a good one to recall. Meanwhile, Augusta approached Erwin and placed a hand over his shoulder. Startled, the boy turned to look at her.

"If you ever need to talk, Erwin, you come to me." The commander of Rabbit Team said. "We take care of each other. That's how we work."

The first instinct of the boy was to make some sort of snarky retort, but then he reconsidered and simply smiled back at the girl. "Thank you."

The rest of Erwin's team decided to join them to see what was happening.

"Are we having an emotional moment here?" Tamara asked, a confident smirk on her face.

"It's nothing like that!" Erwin immediately retorted.

"It seemed emotional to me."

Now, was even Caesar pulling his leg?

"And she is right," Caesar continued, "we have a pretty good group here. We'll manage, regardless of the opposition, foreign or internal."

"True." Again, Erwin turned to Rabbit Team, moved by his friends' support. "And you, people. Thank you for staying. You could have given up after the last fight, after all that was all that Anja had asked of you, but you stuck with us. That takes character."

"Don't even mention it." Constanze replied, seemingly regretful of her decision.

"What else could we have done?" Augusta asked. "Things happened so fast after the battle against the Americans. And then there was Maria's brother…"

"Yeah, that didn't help…" Erwin shook his head. "Well, what matters is that we have Maria… and Anja. She's brave, very much so."

His attention was diverted when he felt Tamara pulling his sleeve.

"Anyhow, we need to talk." She told him. The two of them waved their friends goodbye and started to walk back to the StuG. Tamara only resumed talking when she felt they were outside hearing range.

"You sure like to talk about Anja every time the opportunity presents itself."

The observation made Erwin blush and pout.

"Don't say that! That's untrue!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

Now they were in front of the big assault gun, the girl with her arms crossed over her chest and the unwavering smirk on her face, and the boy with both hands buried in his pockets and trying to avoid eye contact with her.

"Is she why you've joined us? Anja, I mean?"

Erwin sighed, and it took him a while to come up with his reply.

"Yes… No. Maybe." He started scrapping the dirt with his shoe. "I don't know. I couldn't leave you girls alone."

"The other boys know, don't they?"

"My friends do, but the rest of the guys don't, so shut it."

His apprehension made Tamara laugh louder than she probably should.

"Don't you worry." She said once she managed to catch her breath. "It ain't no secret so I can't spread it any further."

"I mean, don't tell Anja, all right?"

Now that actually made sense, and for a moment Tamara looked quite serious. In spite of the crush being known by basically everyone inside the squadron, Anja, and by extension Maria and Monica, seemed quite oblivious to the fact, or simply dismissed it as something the girls made up to have conversation topics.

"Good point."

The others were still talking in front of the M3 Medium, and noticed the conversation between Erwin and Tamara.

"Are you flirting over there?" Caesar yelled in a purposely provocative tone.

"Mind your own business!" Erwin replied. Then he turned back at Tamara, with an indulgent smirk on his lips. "So, about this thing," he pointed at the StuG, "have you managed to do something about the sight?"

"We're still trying to come up with a way to aim it properly." Tamara said, actually quite happy for the change of topic. "Nitzschmann had an idea that Killian was trying to implement…"

She climbed to the top of the vehicle, and Erwin followed her. He knew to be right. They had very good people in that squadron. The girls were disciplined and knew what they were doing, and the boys who knew them since the beginning actually respected them. The leadership was as good as an irregular unit like theirs could hope for, and he knew he could place his life and his friends' in the hands of Maria and Anja.

He wasn't so sure about the new guys, though. While the _Hitlerjugend_ kids from Anteater Team seemed enthusiastic and harmless enough, the same couldn't be said from what Ysabelle had christened Leopon Team. He didn't like the all-military attitude of Martin, and the condescending posture of his crew towards the other boys. He felt that they meant trouble, and although he couldn't know, Anja held a very similar opinion.

Such internal distrusts weren't good for the workings of any team.


	6. The Chains of Command

**Author's Notes:**

Real Life can be an hindrance at times. My World War II Mondays haven't been as regular as I've wanted to, but, unfortunately, my time has been scarce as of lately. Maybe more importantly, I haven't been able to write down the later chapters as quickly as I've wanted to. Some emotionally charged scenes are coming, and they are proving to be much more difficult to put to paper than I've ever expected. I am very sorry for that. I just hope that in spite of the hiccups, this fanfic proves to be a fun ride for you all. Thank you for all of your support, and, without further ado, lets get back into it.

* * *

VI

THE CHAINS OF COMMAND

"I don't know what happened. Probably we've put too much stress on it during the forced march in the other night and it gave out."

Tjessen was devastated. The young driver of the _Leopon_ looked into the engine compartment with dismay as he tried to put together what was plaguing the colossal vehicle. Hössler was crouching beside him, and he also tried to make some sense of the dismantled left electric motor. The Porsche Tiger actually used two of those, fed by the 10-cylinder engine placed between them. It was one of those overly complex automotive solutions pioneered by Ferdinand Porsche and that usually ended in disasters of the kind.

"But is something actually broken?" Martin stood near the back of the turret, arms crossed over his chest. "I don't want to go into our first deployment to have our tank break even before it gets moving."

"It doesn't seem so." Tjessen extended an arm to pull some cables, both to check it they were well-attached but also to see the components placed behind them. "Maybe something got loose."

Right beside the Tiger was the _Hetzer_, which was being repaired by the Baderberg girls. One of them, Ursel Koehne, approached the _Leopon_, obviously concerned with what was troubling its crew.

"Do you need help?" She asked.

Hössler immediately turned towards her. "No, we don't."

The tone of his voice startled the girl, and forced Martin to come with a more considerate excuse.

"Really, we don't." He told Ursel. "We know this one quite well. It's just playing with us. How's the _Jagdpanzer_ coming along?"

The girl looked over her shoulder. One of her comrades swore as her finger got stuck somewhere inside the engine compartment.

"We've identified the problem. I think we'll be ready to test the engine quite soon."

Martin raised an eyebrow at that statement.

"That's impressive." He conceded. Ursel shrugged in return.

"We're used to these sorts of things by now. After all, we've spent many weeks repairing a rather diverse collection of vehicles, not counting with all the time in the farm beforehand. And we have some great mechanics among us."

"Got it. Anyhow, I extend to you the same offer you've made us. If you need something just ask any of us."

That did the trick. Ursel smiled at him, and then went back to join her friends. Hopefully she was already over Hössler's harshness. But Martin would have to do something regarding his gunner's behavior. Any immediate reply was however cut short by Sulzberger, who peered through the loader's hatch.

"There's nothing in the electrical systems on this end." The loader said. "What about the motors?"

"There's were we're focusing now."

Hössler used the short exchange to get up and approach Martin.

"What was that about? You want us to help them?"

"Why not?" Martin tried to remain calm. Since they got there that he could feel there was a wall between his men and the rest of the squadron, especially the girls. That was to be expected, of course, but not desirable. "We're all on the same boat."

The Tiger's gunner was slightly harder to appease than the driver of Turtle Team. He got even closer to his commander and spoke in a whispering voice, so others couldn't listen.

"Listen, Martin, you know how much of a predicament this is. These girls shouldn't be here. We should-"

"We are here now." Martin raised a hand to shut his subordinate at the same time he cut him midsentence. "The _Oberst_ decided to keep these girls as the crews of these vehicles for a reason. He's been fighting since this war started so I won't judge his decisions. Not now, at least."

"But you've said-"

"I know what I've said. And if the situation demands it I will assume command. But not now, and not while there is a command structure in place."

Hössler didn't have an immediate reply. Nervously, he passed his hand over his hair. It wasn't hard to imagine his plight. How many times had they heard about German female warriors? There were reports of Soviet women soldiers, but for them those were lesser people, or at least that was what their deranged regime had thought them.

And yet, those girls there with them had already seen hell. How could they manage to endure it at all was something Martin had yet to comprehend.

"I think it's a fuse!" Tjessen exclaimed, bringing an end to the awkward silence. His head was practically inside the engine compartment now, as he tried to figure out the problem.

"Hope you know what you're doing…" Hössler muttered before going back to rejoin the driver in his attempts at getting the tank back in working order. It gave Martin a moment to exhale his anxiety, and then someone else decided to strike back at him.

With everyone occupied, either repairing the two new machines, or placing the additional armor on the _Panzer_ IV, no one noticed Anja approaching the Tiger. When she spoke, Martin was actually startled.

"Hey, do you have a moment?"

Martin nodded at the girl, who eyed him with hostility. Surprisingly, it was Sulzberger, who was still prying though the hatch, who spoke.

"Never a dull moment, huh?"

The two young men traded a glance, and Martin shrugged, before jumping to the ground to join the vice-commander of the _Panzer_ squadron. She gestured for him to follow her to the wood shacks serving as equipment storage. There wasn't anyone nearby, so they could talk with relative tranquility. Once there, Anja sat over an empty crate and took a dried sweet potato out of her breast pocket, quickly giving it a bite. Questioning himself as to what that was about, Martin assumed his best parade stance, legs spread and hands behind his back.

"I'll get directly to the point," Anja began, "I don't like you."

Although he expected some sort of opposition to his team's entrance in the squadron, Martin didn't think that the first impressions could have been that negative. By the contrary, he'd behaved as professionally as he should, or so he hoped. Those words made him blink in surprise.

"Really?" He said, unwilling to yield before the girl's words. Anja gave another bite on her potato and chewed it for a second or so before replying.

"Really. You came here all tough and whatnot, making a show of how professional you are, and even trying to put our boys in line." She noticed Martin's slight change of pose. "Yeah, I know what happened. Do you think the boys wouldn't tell?" She raised a clenched first. "I would even torture them if they didn't."

"Your point being…?" Again, Martin was feeling somewhat aghast by the attitude of those maidens. He shouldn't be explaining himself to a girl, much less in a combat unit. It felt inappropriate, wrong even. He changed his weight from one foot to the other.

"Being that we have a hierarchy in place here, and it has worked thus far. Furthermore, we have sacrificed too much to grant ourselves this opportunity to fight for our country. We've made miracles to make that happen. Neither I nor the other girls will allow your masculine pretensions to put that to waste." She leaned forward and pointed to Martin with her potato. "Command is Nitzschmann's, and I'm her right hand woman, and you won't be getting our places anytime soon."

Those were strong words. They made Martin glance back involuntarily, to Tjessen and Hössler, who were still on the back of the Tiger (P), discussing something. The gunner's request was still fresh in Martin's mind, but, in spite of his discomfort, he had to admit that those girls seemed quite at ease with military discipline. Anja, for example, was acting like the quintessential sergeant who sensed some discontentment among the ranks, and thus tried to put everyone in his place, on the lieutenant's behalf. On the other hand, those girls were BDM, so discipline and a sense of hierarchy weren't strange to them.

He didn't even notice the silence that had befallen while he considered those thoughts.

"What are you, anyhow?" Anja asked, her voice considerably mellower. "SS?"

Martin turned back at her.

"Army, why?"

Anja shrugged. "Just asking. We had some encounters with the SS, and they weren't necessarily pleasant. Working with them is a pain." For a moment she glanced away, a hint of sadness briefly flashing on her brown eyes. "But they die like anyone else, I guess. Those boys in the _Marder_ are from the _Hitlerjugend_, but they were never pressed into any branch. They simply taught them to fire the gun, drive the vehicle, and then sent them to the first unit they could find… us. So be nice to them. They still don't understand what this is like."

"One of them has a patch." Martin remarked, pointing to his right eye.

"Enemy bombing. Some of us have a history with those."

"You can add me to that list…"

Having already said what she wanted to, Anja leaned back and exhaled lengthily. Then she took another bite off her potato. Martin considered what he should say next, but at that moment someone entered the motor pool. At the gate were Ysabelle and Master Sergeant Aschenbrenner, the later dragging behind him a wheel cart filled with motor parts, while the girl carried a few more on her arms. They also seemed to be involved in some animated conversation while walking to the storage shacks.

"Hey, did something happen?" Ysabelle asked Martin when she noticed the rest of his crew was clustered over the tank.

"My driver says it might be a fuse."

"A fuse?" The girl immediately dropped what she was carrying, to the master sergeant's dismay, and leaped to the wheel cart to dig among the assortment of mechanical parts. She quickly found what she was looking for and threw it at Martin, who caught the small piece of metal without effort. He turned his palm upward and opened it, realizing it was an ungainly-looking electrical fuse.

"See if that works. If it doesn't fit tell me something. I might be able to modify it for your tank."

"_Danke_."

Suddenly a loud roar erupted from the other side of the motor pool, startling Martin.

The _Hetzer_ was grumbling, a large cloud of black smoke pouring from its exhaust pipes. Around it the girls were cheering and laughing.

"See?" Anja queried. Martin turned towards her once again, to find a mischievous smirk on her lips. "Miracle makers."


	7. Wehrmacht

VII

WEHRMACHT

"We always get the weird ones. Even in Baderberg it was like this."

Maria killed the motorcycle's engine and turned to Anja, who was still sitting in the sidecar, looking ever so thoughtful.

"It was?"

The short right hand woman glanced sideways at Maria.

"You know you are among the weirdest of the weirdest." At this point she couldn't avoid a wide grin. "Which makes you rather genial, all things considered."

Maria chuckled as she descended from the motorcycle. A few steps away, the soldier guarding the CC's building observed the girls with mild curiosity.

"So, have you argued with the new guy already?"

"I've put him in his place." Anja replied while she got out of the sidecar. "The guy wants respect, then he better earn it."

"You should be kind to him. You know how these army men are."

"And that's why I had to talk to him before you did. You are too condescending." Anja approached Maria, flashing that playful smirk of hers. She raised a clenched fist. "You need to understand that you have to grab the men by their-"

Only then did she consider the sentinel, who was now looking directly at the two girls, his mouth gaped open with shock. Maria and Anja blinked once, and then burst out laughing.

"Come on," Anja said when she finally managed to catch her breath, "let's see what _Herr_ Messner wants from us."

The two girls walked to the entrance. The sentinel allowed them passage, his expression now more contained than ever, the young man obviously not knowing what to think of those two odd characters. They greeted him with a smile, and then entered the run-down building.

Small as the main corridor was, the door to Messner's temporary cabinet was just a few steps away from the entrance. Heymans Breda, now a captain, stood at the door. The girls greeted the slightly overweight man, who was the first from the 77th's command staff to ever meet them. Their good disposition, though, was cut short once they started to listen to the conversation going on inside, the words carrying easily through the thin wooden door.

"I know you have family in Berlin," that was Messner's voice, "but you're not the only one. I cannot go giving licenses like that when we're on alert status."

"Damn it, _Oberst_!" The colonel's interlocutor sounded quite desperate. "The whole city is burning! I haven't been able to hear anything from them! And I need to know how they are!"

"And what if you go there, _Hauptmann_? Then what? You know how things are back there. An SS imbecile could very well come to the conclusion that your deserted your post. Will being shot by your own help your family?" A short silence followed the question. Now the girls were leaning against the corridor wall beside Breda, the three of them looking straight ahead while the discussion dragged in the cabinet. Maria started to involuntarily grit her teeth, the apprehension making her nauseous.

"I have to see my family, _Oberst_…" The captain now sounded slightly calmer, but not conformed.

"Think about it this way." Messner replied. "What do you think will happen when the Soviets get to Berlin? You've heard what the refugees from the East said. We're the only thing between them and our people, your family."

"You're right, sir…" There was a short silence, and then the captain spoke again. "I would now like to rejoin my company, sir."

"All right. You're dismissed."

The door opened almost instantly afterwards, startling Maria. The captain looked down at the girls, his expression a mix of despair and contempt. Then he walked away, donning his cap as soon as he got outside.

"Your turn." Breda said with sad irony.

Maria walked ahead, Anja following suit. They found Messner still sitting behind his secretary, in fact a small metal table some unfortunate soul had to carry inside the building when the unit established in the village. The colonel was still rubbing his face, trying to clear away the stress of that last conversation.

Slowly, he looked up, his hands still covering his chin and mouth. Messner looked tired, desperately so. With a sigh, he leaned back on his chair. There was none for the subordinates, unfortunately.

"I've read your inventory this morning. I guess we can't expect more than one or two more actions with your tanks before we're out of parts, ammo and fuel, right?"

The colonel wasn't known for beating about the bush, and usually went straight to the point. Even so that was a little too direct, and the girls had to realize what they were being asked before managing to formulate a reply.

"That's pretty much it, _Herr_ Messner." Anja said. "We might extend it for a while longer if we start cannibalizing units, but it would degrade our combat capacity."

"Which is low enough as it is… Do you have all units in working order?"

"Yes. All tanks are functional and ready to go at any moment."

The statement made Messner pause for an instant. Even in normal situations, most _Panzer_ units couldn't muster all of their assets at once due to any number of problems with maintenance and lack of parts. But, again, those girls were known for making do with incredibly scarce resources.

"And the crews?" As he made the question, the colonel glanced at Maria. He was already used to count on Anja to fill him on the technical aspects of the tank squadron, but as the commander, Maria was the one responsible for her people, and it was her who had to talk for them, in spite of how much she thought of herself as unable to really understand others. She remained silent while her thoughts spun around, trying to find an answer.

"So?"

Maris straightened, almost instinctively, Messner's tone remembering her of her days in the BDM groupings, before that whole mess with the tanks started.

"The girls are ready, and the morale is quite high…" Her voice trailed off as she realized how many doubts she still had. The colonel couldn't help but notice her hesitation.

"Is there any problem?" In his voice remained the cold edge of command, but both girls noticed a certain concern. In spite of how cold he could seem at times, Messner worried deeply about his men, and everyone knew about that. It made fighting under him feel a little less hopeless.

"The girls are ready enough to support your men, some are even quite proud of the fact. But…" Maria had to look away. "The new crews are having a hard time settling in. I guess that's because they aren't used to having girls in a combat unit, although I guess that would be expected."

"Is that the problem?"

"No." She had realized something during the travel there, and even more during the time spent in that village readying the unit for the inevitable next battle. Somehow, having to word the concept made it even more painful to her. "The problem is that I think we might be overestimating our chances, given the situation. Anglerfish Team managed to get ace status in the last battle, and the other teams are now thinking that we might be able to make a serious dent in the enemy. We simply destroyed so many tanks before because we had no other choice. If we didn't we would all be-"

Maria couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She had felt a lingering sense of dread, ever since that fateful night near Torgau, which got even worse after the conversation with her brother. It was eating away at her. And Messner realized that. He rose from his chair and approached the girl. He traded a glance with Anja, who seemed quite worried, and then placed a hand over Maria's shoulder, finally getting her to look at him again.

"I understand your point, _Fräulein_ Nitzschmann, command is not easy, nor should it be. It's a burden that only worsens to those who lead by example, such as yourself. But you have to realize that it was that very same example that made the troops rally around you. You say they are eager to fight, and to do so beside you. But that reality scares you, yes?"

Unable to utter a word, Maria simply nodded.

"That means they trust you with their lives, then. They believe you will do the impossible, if needed, to bring them all back home. Such trust is something most commanders can only dream about."

"But what if I fail? What if anyone else dies?"

What kind of reply could such a question warrant? Messner frowned and gave a step back.

"Harsh as this might seem, Nitzschmann, death is a constant on the battlefield. The lives of your people are in your hands, and sometimes you might actually need to send people in knowing they won't come back."

"It's a waste…"

"No. A sacrifice. That's something that a commander needs to learn. A sacrifice is made to achieve a goal. A waste is made when you don't even know what your goals are." At that point Messner sighed, probably thinking about the whole situation around him. Was the defense of Berlin a sacrifice or a waste? Had there even been a chance for Nazi Germany to sue for peace, especially with the helm still being steered by the madman in his bunker?

As long as the war raged on, people kept dying. And for what?

"I received a message, this morning, directly from high command, that asked me if it was true that I had a _Panzer_ squadron crewed by girls."

"You did, _Herr_ Messner?" Anja asked, curiosity in her voice. "I guess they weren't very happy."

"They weren't." For a moment the colonel flashed a mischievous smirk, apparently very satisfied with the way he'd dealt with the issue. "I told them it wasn't their God-damned business."

He did what? Maria raised her head, dumbfounded. Noticing her reaction, Messner shrugged.

"What are they going to do? Shoot me? I am the only one keeping this battalion from falling apart, and I guess General Wenck wouldn't be happy if he knew someone was telling his officers what to do behind his back. Especially because he was the one who accepted my request to keep you around. After all, he wouldn't turn down a true _Panzer _ace."

"I…" Maria nodded at the colonel. "I think I understand, _Herr_ Messner."

"Of course you do." Messner then dropped over his chair. That exhaustion from before was returning. "Nitzschmann… I need you to be on top of your game, all right? What happened thus far was no accident. If there wasn't something special in you and your crews you'd be dead or discharged by now. You realize that much?"

Again, Maria simply nodded back at him.

"Good. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"I-I guess there isn't, _Herr_ Messner." Maria straightened. "Thank you for your trust."

"Just don't prove me wrong."

There wasn't much more to say, so the girls nodded one last time, and turned on their heels to leave. Just an heartbeat after the girls closed the door behind them, Roy leaned over his desk and sighed, fingers interlocked against his chin, his gaze focusing in something way beyond the door, and seemingly somewhere in the distant past.

Once again the colonel asked himself what he was really doing with them. Of course the need for a minimally competent set of tank crews was above all other considerations in his mind. The girls knew what they were doing, and they had proved their bravery in the field two times already. It could be a roll of lucky happenstances, but such was the reality of combat, after all. He wasn't still out of the hook, though.

High-command had its suspects about the crews of the Baderberg Tank Squadron, and both rumors and facts were spreading like wildfire, what would be expected, considering the situation. But his report, although omitting the gender of the crews, was completely honest in regard to their competence and, more importantly, to the emergence of a new tank ace. It was a reality that appeased the authorities, and General Wenck could use the fact as an incentive for the troops. They were in desperate need of heroes, after all. And the new set of heroes even gained Roy three new armored vehicles, crews, and even some ammo and fuel. It wasn't much, but at that stage of the war he was willing to accept anything he could get his hands on.

But that wouldn't prevent a sudden visit of a party officer, who would evidently become scandalized as soon as he saw the tank crews. Even regular troops reacted that way, and he noticed the dull expression of the new tank commander in Nitzschmann's unit. He was horrified with his new outfit. And yet, Roy needed the girls. He needed their ability to not get killed, and help his infantry to do the same. When, and that was a certainty, a party officer came to check on the troops and confirm the underlying suspicions in an official manner, he would be forced to deal with the situation as best as he could.

No one would harm his men, that much he could guarantee. They were defending the Fatherland and the poor souls trapped in Berlin, and it wouldn't be a God-damned Nazi to do what the Americans and the Soviets had failed to accomplish thus far. It would give him additional problems, though. But, again, he would need to wait to see what options he would be given, and then he would make his move as best as he could.

Because the ultimate goal was to find a way to protect Germany, and Germany was, ultimately, the people living within the country. Roy sighed once again. Things just kept getting better...

_That damned Austrian and his madness_…

While the Colonel measured his situation, Maria and Anja joined Breda in the corridor.

"Having doubts?" The overweight captain asked as the girls passed by him.

"Don't we all?"

"Fair enough." Breda put his hands in his pockets and started escorting the girls to the exit. "Do you know what was his nickname back in Russia?"

Maria and Anja exchanged a glance and then shook her heads. Breda smirked, without joy but seemingly proud.

"The Fire Warmonger. And you know why?" He didn't give the girls time to reply, he simply kept talking. "Because he would use Hanomags packed with flamethrowers. The Ivan would never expect that, not in the way he did it. We would run over trenches and pillboxes like it was nothing. And he was proud. A true Prussian warrior. Now he's just… tired."

They were already at the door, and they stopped, Breda seeming suddenly lost in thought. Gently, Maria squeezed his elbow, prompting him to glance at her, surprised.

"We'll make it, _Herr_ Breda." She said, her voice level, carrying with it the certainty of command. For a moment the officer simply stared at her, unable to identify the look in her eyes. Then he tapped her hand, breaking the spell.

"I hope you're right, _Fräulein_, I really do."

Leaving the man behind, the girls went back outside. An uneasy silence had befallen them, and Anja realized her friend was digressing, probably thinking about something she shouldn't. Those last couple of weeks had really taken their toll on all of them, made the Baderberg girls grow up too quickly, and some were now starting to crack. And the war was still far from over. Although even Anja realized the German forces couldn't hold out much longer, there was enough battle left to summon hell itself onto them.

They approached the motorcycle, and Anja held to the edge of the sidecar, ready to say something. She was interrupted by someone calling for Maria. The girls turned as one toward the man, coming from the other side of the street. It was Master-Sergeant Fuery, striding towards them, holding to a piece of paper.

"_Fräulein_ Nitzschmann," he called out, "this has arrived for you."

He gave the paper to Maria, using the next moment to catch his breath.

"I almost thought I wouldn't catch you."

"What is this?" Maria asked, opening the message.

"It's the information you've asked for. I have a friend in Berlin who managed to ask some questions and find it."

"It was fast." The girl was truly surprised with that.

"It wasn't easy either. The city is in ruins, it seems. The Soviets haven't stooped the shelling yet."

There was no reply to that, so Maria simply turned her attention back to the paper. It didn't made it any easier.

"Oh, my…"

Curious, Anja moved to her side, to read the message.

"Meike won't like this."


	8. Eye of the Storm

**Author's ****notes:**

Again, I'm running a little late with this chapter. Honestly I have been suffering from a rather persistent block, and I'm trying to get around it, so future chapters might take a little longer to come by. As usual, I'm making great efforts to maintain a high quality standard. On a more positive note, I recently had the chance to watch "Generation War". What a great show that was. I had some gripes here and there, but generally it was very good and heart-wrenching. It also gave me some ideas that might help me overcome this block.

We shall see. For now, lets dive back into the world from 70 years ago.

* * *

VIII

EYE OF THE STORM

As expected, Meike didn't react well to the news. Maria decided to break in the news herself, as she felt that as a leader, that was her duty. Thus she was right in front of the dark-haired girl when the later staggered back until she hit the storage shacks, her hands holding to her arms, as she tried to contain the shivering that had suddenly taken hold of her. Slowly, Meike raised her head to look directly at the commander. Her eyes were wet, the agony piercing through the stoic facade Maria tried to maintain.

It was just like Messner had said. She had to be strong for her people. It wasn't easy, though.

"I knew it." Meike muttered. "I was feeling something was wrong."

She shook her head, unable to weather the pain. Seeing that spectacle, Maria felt compelled to swallow dryly. Meike was always so composed, almost as though if she didn't have a care in the world. Seeing her losing her cool like that felt unnatural, and sad. The rest of Anglerfish Team was also there, as well as Anja, and they too felt powerless in the face of her friend's suffering.

Suddenly, Meike gave a few steps forward, words cascading out of her mouth.

"I have to get to her! I need that motorcycle."

Maria raised a hand, although aimlessly. Meike just walked past her, sobbing, and then it was Hanna who managed to act and hold her from behind with a wide embrace.

"Let me go!" Meike struggled against her friend. "I need to go get my grandma! She's all alone in there!"

"You wouldn't get past the checkpoints, Meike, my dear." Hanna whispered at her, the tone in her voice forcing the other girl to relax so she could hear what she was saying.

"But she's all the family I have left..."

Simone came forth and knelt in front of her friend.

"You've heard her." She told her. "You wouldn't make it to Berlin."

"We have a tank."

"And the enemy has aircraft and the roadblocks have SS." Anja retorted, trying to keep her voice level.

"And we need you here." Simone insisted. She held Meike's elbows, squeezing softly. "We are also family now. What would we do without you?"

That was the breaking point. Meike fell over her knees and embraced Simone, breaking into a loud panting. Hanna came down with her, and put her arms around the other two girls, her face against Meike's dark hair, covered in tears.

It was just like that moment right after the first combat, Maria realized. When those two girls she now saw as her best friends comforted Tabea after she found herself out of her destroyed tank, her commander dead and her mind scarred forever. How many more people had they lost in the meanwhile? The kids from Mallard Team, who she barely knew and yet whose loss bored like a knife through her heart? And how many men had the 77th Panzergrenadiers lost themselves? And now they were even being asked to leave their families behind...

Did that made any sense at all?

It took Maria a moment to notice the tears flowing down her face. Looking around, she saw Ysabelle also falling to her knees to embrace her grieving friends, trying to provide some support. How helpful she was, Maria thought, always there to help regardless of her own lack of social skills.

She couldn't bear to look, and she even asked herself if she should partake in her friend's moment. She was the leader after all. She needed to keep a certain distance, right?

So, she turned her back, trying to contain the tears that insisted on flowing like rivers. Anja had already gave a few steps away from the scene, so she decided to approach her.

"We're making a scene." The vice-commander said, evidently fighting against her own emotions. Looking over her shoulder, Maria noticed the rest of the squadron's personnel gathering in front of the tanks, trying to see what was happening. They all had their own struggles and doubts, their own loved ones left behind for them to go fight in an hopeless war. She needed to stay strong, keep things together. She couldn't falter.

"Go check on the maintenance. See if all units are combat ready. I'll join you in a couple minutes."

Anja got the cue.

"All right then." She started to turn around, but then hesitated, and moved closer to Maria, getting her face so close to hers that she could almost kiss her. "What if it was your old man?" She whispered, her breath washing over Maria's cheek and lips. "What would you do?"

Maria backed, but she couldn't say she was surprised with her question. She had been asking herself the very same thing ever since Fuery gave her the telegram.

"I don't know..."

"Thought so."

Then Anja patted her on the shoulder and strode away, yelling at the crews for them having interrupted their work. That gave Maria a few moments to gather her thoughts. It was hopeless, though. Hearing her friends crying, and seeing the rest of the crews uneasy with the scene, all of them far too young to be there, she couldn't help but think that they all had been far too lucky until that moment. They weren't really prepared for a straight-up fight. And that certainty chilled her to the core.

* * *

Doubt kept haunting until the dead of the night. At a certain point she realized she couldn't sleep, even within the shroud of darkness and with the breathing of a dozen girls around her, lulling her into a sense of drowsiness her rational side tried hard to ignore. To her left Meike was finally dormant, after having cried herself to sleep in Hanna's embrace. The rest of the team rested nearby, the other girls sleeping around, staying together to preserve heat.

It was hopeless, Maria finally realized. She decided she needed to be alone to order her ideas. So she put her blanket over her shoulders and went outside the windmill, almost tripping while she descended the stairs in the dark. Fortunately no one seemed to have noticed her yelp. She regretted her decision as soon as she got outside. It was colder than she expected, although the moon shined bright in a sky covered only by a few wandering clouds.

At first the night seemed silent, eerily so, even. But then, as Maria walked to the line of tanks, she started to notice the scrapping of the night creatures, the discussions of the grenadiers in the nearby village, and even the nonstop thundering of the artillery far away. Berlin was still being pounded. She thought if Meike's grandmother had any chance of being all right in the middle of that inferno...

A sudden sound nearby altered her. With the hairs in her nape raised, Maria turned around to see what was happening. Did some men managed to pass the sentries? Again she regretted having coming outside alone. She was defenseless. Just a poor hapless girl who shouldn't even be there.

The fat cat then jumped from behind the _Panzer IV_, giving a short meow as it dashed to a nearby crate. He climbed to the top of it and then turned his bright green eyes at the girl, meowing again to assure her it was only him. Maria exhaled, only then noticing she had been holding her breath.

Then a voice came from behind her.

"Still up?"

This time she really shuddered. Dry swallowing, she turned about, slowly. In the dark she almost failed to recognize him, but then the straightened stance, with the hands behind his back, made her realize who he was.

"Martin..."

He grinned mischievously.

"Did I scare you, _Führerin_?"

What did Anja told her that she needed to do when dealing with men?

"A little." It definitively wasn't that. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same." He looked around, and sighed. "Thinking, mostly. Couldn't sleep."

"Me neither." Maria walked to a nearby crate, just a few steps away from the one where the cat was now licking his paws, and sat. "I needed to think."

"I guess we all do." Martin came closer, but decided to stand for now.

"It's funny... I haven't looked at the stars in a while."

"It's hard, isn't it?" The young tanker turned towards the girl as he realized he hadn't expressed himself all that clearly. "To lead, I mean."

Maria tightened the blanket around her shoulders while she thought about his question. She was now feeling a sudden urge to speak, to open her heart and hopefully find some relief from that overwhelming dread. But could she trust him? Someone she barely knew? For some reason she felt she could. Maybe it was the professionalism he showed, or maybe that way he looked at her, not with suspicion or spite, just curiosity. He was a good young man, she told herself. Above all, she needed to believe in that.

"It's overwhelming." Maria finally admitted. "All of these people depend on me, and I'm so afraid to fail..."

Under the curious gaze of the cat, Martin pulled a small crate, so he could seat slightly to Maria's right, but not in front of her. He was giving her space, she realized.

"Thinking about being relieved?" He asked, slowly, carefully, trying not to sound overbearing.

"_Nein._" Maria shook her head. "It's my responsibility, these girls and these boys placed their lives in my hands. I cannot betray that trust."

A slight grin formed on Martin's face. Then he noticed Maria cocking her head, very slightly.

"Something else on your mind, _Führerin_?"

"You have been remembering me someone. I had that sensation ever since I first saw you, but only now did it clicked on my head."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. My brother, to be honest."

At this point Martin's grin disappeared and he lowered his head, his glance becoming harder. Yes, Maria wasn't wrong. Although taller and with wider shoulders, that young man made her recall the Marco she once knew, in attitude, if nothing else. Only when she saw him in the dark, and for a moment saw a face that wasn't his did she really understood what that lingering sensation of familiarity meant.

"Nitzschmann..." Martin grumbled. For some reason he didn't even hesitate, like others had done before. "The SS _Panzer_ ace."

"Yes." She smiled, although without joy.

"Noteworthy family you have. When was the last time you saw him?"

"To be honest... just a few days ago."

"Oh..." The tank commander straightened, unable to hide his surprise.

"Yeah, it wasn't on the best of terms, though." And then she started talking, finally opening to someone about what she had tried to hide on her very heart, breaking her apart while her people started to collapse around her.


	9. Marco

**Author's Notes:**

Hi there! It is good to be back. I am so sorry for the long hiatus, but real life, and some practical considerations regarding this story, got in the way, preventing me from working on it regardless of how much I wanted to.

This piece was the big one, though. Rarely had I struggled against a piece of dialogue as much as I did with this one. I rewrote it time and again, giving up on complete chapters after having worked on them for endless hours. Simply put, evoking both the original show and the attitudes from 70 years ago in the same scene was a workload. As you surely know by now, historical accuracy within the constraints of the theme and story is my outmost priority, and the practical issues of this project really came to the forefront on this very scene. I'm still not completely satisfied with how this one came out in the end, but I guess I've been away long enough.

With that said, let's restart this one again; there is still a lot of story left to go.

* * *

IX

MARCO

Central Germany, 15 April, 1945 - four days before Martin joined the Baderberg Tank Squadron. That day the girls faced American troops in an ill-fated attempt to break through their lines using the bad weather as a cover. Everything went wrong and only Maria's decisive leadership averted the annihilation of the 77th _Panzergrenadier_ Battalion. In the end, she and her team were alone against a superior enemy force, being forced to join a retreating SS battalion to avoid being destroyed themselves.

They found some solace inside an orchard of apple trees, where the _Panzer IV_'s crew could finally open the tank's hatches and catch some fresh air. It was then that, against all odds, Maria was confronted by the last person she expected to find in that cursed battlefield: her own brother. He had approached the battered medium tank to reprehend the crew for their errors during the fighting, only to find himself stuttering as he tried to make sense of what his eyes were showing him.

"M-Maria?" The captain of the _Waffen_ SS's 504th Heavy _Panzer_ Battalion actually trembled a little. As did his sister, sitting over the commander's cupola.

"M-Marco… brother…"

Being a seasoned soldier, Marco Nitzschmann was quick to recover once the initial shock subsided. His expression hardened and he lowered his head slightly, his piercing dark eyes totally focused on Maria.

"What is the meaning of this?" he growled.

The day had been especially taxing for Maria. After the whirlwind of fear and destruction, the exultation of combat and the dread of the shelling, and especially after the eerie encounter with the enemy soldier, she was just too drained to be able to deal with that. Her body froze solid, her eyes fixated onto her brother's, her mouth mumbling "oh, no" time and again.

Her comrades were also speechless, Hanna covering her mouth with both hands, Ysabelle simply staring, dumbfounded. Faced with their silence, Marco gave a step forward and insisted, "What are you even doing here, Maria?" His face twisted in an expression that was a blend of shock and fury, for the moment losing the composure Maria had always associated with him. "And inside that thing?"

Although subtle, Maria could understand the confused tone in his words. He actually meant something along the lines of 'this wasn't the plan.' Faded memories from not so long ago came back to her. A girl running happily though the fields with a worried young boy tailing her, pleading for her not to get hurt. An older girl, still a child, nestled under her teenage brother's arm, falling asleep while he read her stories from the Bible. Then that same teenager, already wearing a black uniform, turning his back at her and her family. And finally she saw herself facing a whole city catching fire while dark bombers flew overhead...

She had to say something, force her mouth to word what she had in her mind, but Simone was much quicker in her reaction, and before Maria could do anything she was already pointing fingers at Marco, a hand on her hip and an aggravated expression in her face.

"Hey, we were having a moment here!"

Her words also sprang Ysabelle into motion, her desire to help her friends overcoming her reverence towards the Nitzschmann _Panzer_ ace.

"You shouldn't be too harsh towards your sister, _Herr Hauptsturmführer_!" She said. "We held your flank for the whole morning, and if not for _Fräulein_ Nitzschmann the 99th _Panzergenadiers_ would be no more. You should be proud of her!"

Marco lowered his head slightly, like some dangerous wild animal getting ready to pounce at a prey. But whatever thoughts crossed his mind, he kept them to himself, instead turning his attention back to his sister. While the exchange happened, another SS officer, a lieutenant, approached the captain. Remarkably handsome, he was taller than Marco, had silvery blond hair and piercing blue eyes.

"I do not think he was talking to any of you," the lieutenant said as he halted behind his commander, "so can it!"

His tone and hardened gaze made Ysabelle remember who she was talking to. Those men, and those who followed them, belonged to what could arguably be one of the best German units still in action. She had followed her feats and worshiped their victories. Yet, now that she faced them she could clearly see they were no better than any other man. Disheartened, she lowered her head. "Sorry."

The lieutenant's intervention brought a thick veil of tension onto the conversation. Apparently unwilling to let it get even harsher, Marco turned back slightly and rose a hand in front of his subordinate.

"Erik," he needed no more words. The blond man straightened and kept his mouth shut. Then Marco glanced back at his sister. "So?"

When their gazes connected once more, Maria felt the hesitation and shock fade ever so slightly. Still she couldn't bare his stare, so she looked away, releasing the breath she had been inadvertently holding for the last few seconds.

"There is nothing to say," she declared, "I was given the chance to defend the Fatherland and I took it. I'm doing my duty."

"Your duty?"

"Yes," Maria turned to face his brother, her gaze hardening as she did so. It was Marco's time to look away.

He shook his head, obviously still unable to believe in what was happening. "Very well…"

Then he turned over his heels and started to walk away. Erik, the lieutenant, reeled slightly, as surprised as the girls were with his reaction. Before anyone could comment, his attention drifted back to the _Panzer IV_.

"Was this your first engagement?" Erik demanded to know. "And what is this nonsense about this being your duty? Women have no place on the field of battle. It is a holy place for men to show their true grit and embolden the nation. You are soiling it."

"We are not!" Simone cried in reply. "Do you know how much we have sacrificed already?"

The rest of the crew nodded, agreeing with her heartfelt declaration. Hanna even added her voice to the chorus. She said, "Why are you insulting us by saying that?"

Erik snorted. "Insulting you? Aren't you insulting Germany by being where you should not? Your duty is to become fine women and bear the next generation of Germanic warriors and mothers." He raised a hand, gesturing in their direction. "Not this. You are dishonoring Germany. What will our enemies think? That we are weak? Resorting to girls to do a men's job?"

Then he went silent, the girls eyeing him with shock and spite. As they stood like this, Meike opened her hatch and squeezed her petite body out, leaning over the gun barrel and observing the scene with drowsy eyes.

"Well," she said in a low voice, "great words you sow. It would be a pity to lose the war after so many years convincing yourselves you were so much better than everyone else."

Fortunately only Marco and Erik were close enough to hear her words, the latter glaring at the black-haired girl, barely containing the fury boiling inside him, mostly because of what went without saying in Meike's intervention. His hand hovered over his holster, "Why, you-"

"You are not better than us," Simone told the lieutenant, interrupting him before he could say anything else. "We've shed blood and tears like anyone else. And we will keep defending our land."

"Yeah!" Ysabelle remarked. "We're not here just to serve you men! We live here too!"

That was too much for Erik. He lurched forward, gritting his teeth, fury very patent in his eyes. Again, Marco had to intervene to avoid things to escalate any further.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" His words and attention were all aimed at Maria, as if the rest of the conversation was little more than inconsequential. The girl knew what he wanted from her: an absolute answer. That was how he saw the world, in black and white, 'you' and 'me' terms. Her words in that moment would be definitive in his mind. Marco had always been of the hard-headed sort.

So, she inhaled deeply, and when she replied it was what absolute conviction, "I am."

Marco nodded, his mind obviously wandering about what sense to make of her words. "You'll follow us once we get moving. Tail's end position. I gather you know how to cover that angle in a column?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good." Marco started to turn away, but then he reconsidered and looked at his sister for one last time. "Their lives are in your hands. Do not waste them." He gestured for Erik to follow him, and then walked away, back to the heavy tanks hidden deeper in the orchard. The blond young man gave an aside glance to the girls, spite flashing in his clear blue eyes, before going after his commanding officer.

"What an unpleasant man," Hanna muttered.

On the other side of the turret, Ysabelle leaned against the open hatch, trying to calm down after the tense exchange.

"He's not completely wrong," she said, "we shouldn't be here…"

It was Simone who replied to her, vexed by her tone. "What do you mean by that? Haven't we been doing some good for our country?"

"That may be, but-" Ysabelle squeezed her own shoulders, as though as she felt cold. "Each day is more terrifying that the previous. It's just that. Those men, they have been doing this for years. They are way better prepared than we are for this kind of thing."

"They cannot do everything. That's when people like us need to do their part." Simone shook her head and turned to Maria. "What do you think, _Mariechen_? That was your brother, now was he?"

Upon hearing her name, Maria turned to her friend. She didn't even notice the conversation, so focused she was on her own emotions, cluttered as each one tried to come to the forefront, only to get entangled with a thousand more. She tried to contain her shivering, but all she managed was to stare blankly at the distance. Memories of fire and fear, of a girl under a pile of burn debris and a tank being shattered by a precise shot in the night, came and went in quick succession.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, he was."

"He is quite handsome."

The off-hand remark surprised everyone, and even Maria whipped her head around to look at her, finding herself staring at Simone's wolfish grin. Somethings never changed, but Maria had the clarity of mind, even in that moment, to know the other girl was trying to raise her, and everyone else's, spirits. They were a team, after all. The Baderberg girls took care of each other. With some effort, she forced herself to smile, "He is my brother, right?"

The hint of pride made Simone burst out laughing, and even the other girls had to concede a grin, or a chuckle in Hanna's case. The tension that had been squeezing at them evaporated slightly, but there was still much haunting Maria.

She had made her choice, and had just declared how far she was willing to go. But, truth be told, she herself wasn't sure she could go that far. Doubt crept in, remembering her about how many lives she had in her hands now. Was she doing the right thing, forbidden as it was?

She wanted to cry, but only dared to do so when they were finally among the 77th _Panzergrenadiers_, late in the night. Then she'd sought the privacy of the empty _Panzer_ _IV_ and wept for hours, until there were no tears left to fall.

* * *

Some were running down her cheeks again, almost a week later, when she came to the end of her story. Martin didn't say a word while she spoke, listening attentively while his mind raced, trying to come to some sort of conclusion.

"Marco told me not to waste lives," Maria uttered while she cleaned her tears with the back of her hand, "and today the _Oberst_ told me the same. It's a burden." She swallowed thickly and turned towards Martin. "I need to trust everyone if I am to make them live through this. I couldn't save my friends in Dresden... maybe I can make some difference here."

The commander of Leopon Team seemed intrigued by that last bit of information.

"You were in Desden?"

Whatever question he had in mind had to wait because at that moment a siren came alive in the village nearby and a loud ruckus erupted in the darkness when men were ordered out of their barracks in frenetic urgency. Maria and Martin bolted to their feet, suddenly alert. Meanwhile the gate was opened and Corporal Kirstein, one of the night-shift guards, entered the motor pool.

"Nitzschmann!" he yelled. "I think we are about to get moving."

It was as if all doubt and regret had suddenly abandoned Maria. When she turned towards him she had an expression in her face Martin hadn't seen yet. A stoic command pose not unlike that of a seasoned _Panzer_ commander. For a moment the young soldier asked himself what sort of woman she actually was.

"Go get the boys," she told him. Together, they ran back to the windmill to get their people moving.


	10. War Thunder

**Author's Notes:**

I guess this is inevitable. For each chapter that took months or even years to take its final form, there were those who remained more or less unchanged ever since I first penned them. This is one of such cases. Then again, as I've said in other instances, the fight scenes are the easiest for me. Sometimes the need to provide proper realism makes it somehow frustrating and forces some quick re-writes, but nothing on the level of the more sensible social scenes. Combat is simple and brutal, you either survive or you do not, small things like social background and gender disappear for a moment, coalescing into the sheer chaos of fire and death, and larger details like one's own personality and blind luck become the true defining factors.

Something to keep in mind while we follow our protagonists into the final days of the worst war in European History.

* * *

X

WAR THUNDER

The clattering of iron tracks and the roaring of heavy-duty engines announced the passage of the six vehicles from the Baderberg Panzer Squadron as they moved under the cover of that sparse forest. The space between the trees was wide enough for the war machines to move without much trouble, although it would become awkward if they ever attempted to fight there. Fortunately that wasn't the plan. In the distance, the sun was still timidly peering over horizon, dense cloud formations placidly passing by here and there. Pillars of dark smoke rose to the sky almost everywhere, along with the occasional series of mushroom clouds that marked the impact of artillery barrages.

Moving in an uneven line the formation reached the eastern edge of the forest. They had been moving since daybreak and Maria thought that to be a good place for a pause before they threw themselves into the thick of it once more. She raised a closed fist over her head and the other tank commanders, seeing the gesture, ordered their crews to come to a halt.

"Everyone remembers the plan, right?" Maria asked the others, looking around to guarantee that everyone was paying attention.

They ought to. Colonel Messner had made a point in having the tank commanders present when he laid out the plan, shortly after their arrival at the forward command post, deeper into the forest.

"I'm still not sure about this," Augusta whimpered, her hands gripping firmly to the edges of the commander's hatch.

"There's not much to understand," Anja retorted. "We're bait. _Herr _Messner has a bunch of AT guns on the other side of the woodland and we just have to guarantee the Soviets get there."

While she spoke, Maria could almost imagine the line of towed AT guns hidden amidst the bushes and tree trunks, their muzzles pointing to the open field between the trees and the stream more to the south. That area would make a perfect kill zone, assuming the squadron managed to lure the enemy there.

"We all understand the plan," Erwin said. "It's just that it is quite a gamble. Who knows how many Ivans are out there?"

"We can do this!" Niekisch, the commander of the _Marder III_, exclaimed. The gunner, Myrthenbaum, also peered over the edge of the lateral armor plate and pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes! Let's show them what we're made of!" the one-eyed boy yelled. His attitude brought a hopeful smile to Maria's face, but provided little to wash away the overwhelming sense of dread.

"You still sure we should come along, Nitzschmann?"

The commander turned toward Martin, who stood over the glacis of the Porsche Tiger, one arm over the massive gun barrel, his intense gaze focused on her.

"Yes," she nodded, "we have to convince them there's a _panzer_ unit worth pursuing around here. We won't be out there for long, just try to keep up. If this goes well it will be over in less than thirty minutes."

"Assuming that's what happens." In spite of Martin's best intentions he still sounded much harsher than he intended to. Hössler, who was peering through the gunner's hatch gave him an aside glance, surprised by his attitude. Although he noticed it through the corner of his eye, Martin didn't react, keeping his attention focused on Maria.

"If you prefer you can always stay here," Anja retorted, her tone venomous. Deliberately Maria raised a hand, the silent order quite clear to the commander of the _Hezter_, who kept her defiant expression regardless. Then Maria turned toward Martin, her eyes locking onto his.

"Shall we?" she asked simply. Martin nodded and then tapped the top of the turret. Hössler disappeared into his hatch and the commander himself followed, assuming his post in the radio-operator's post.

"The damned kids are too eager," he uttered under his breath. "I'm having a bad feeling," he added, somewhat louder.

"Don't jinx, commander," Tjessen immediately replied.

"I still think these girls will get us killed," Hössler declared.

"Can it and start paying attention," Martin retorted, decided to keep his crew in line while they followed those girls into war.

Oblivious to that conversation Maria gestured to the other commanders, getting back on the move. With their engines roaring in chorus the tanks cleared the forest and moved over the open spaces beyond, leaving long muddy scars over the wet green fields. It didn't took long for Martin to be proved right. A loud humming came from the heavens, making the tank commanders look up and find the dark silhouettes passing overhead.

"Aircraft," Ysabelle mumbled in horror. She was peering through her hatch, just beside Maria.

"Ackerman, inside," Maria ordered, her command tone starting to take over. The loader did as she was told, closing the hatch behind her. Giving her no more thought, Maria spoke to her mike to relay further instructions. "Simone, tell _Herr_ Messner to be alert."

"_Yawol_!" the radio-operator replied. Once she finished issuing her orders Maria noticed her hand had inadvertently moved to the pull lever of the MG42 in front of her. Her fingers clenched it and she tried to pull, but the mechanisms were sturdy. She needed a second try with all of her might to finally chamber the first round with a loud clatter.

The squadron now assumed a vague wedge formation as it cruised over the open ground. Looking to her left, Maria could see the roofs of the town they were trying to defend. For some reason she felt strangely pulled towards it. Shaking her head she dispelled the haunting sensation and returned her attention to the situation at hand.

The humming returned, this time coming from the left. Everyone turned in time to see the sleek silhouettes of the three Il-2 ground attack aircraft, usually known as _Sturmoviks_, descending from the skies. Augusta dropped into the turret of the M3 Medium with a yelp and the other commanders cowered, awaiting for the inevitable. But Maria remained where she stood, fixated on the incoming treat like a deer caught in the headlights of a passing car.

She saw the flashes on the aircraft's hoods and wings when they opened fire with their assortment of machine guns and autocannons. The ground between the tanks exploded in volcanoes of mud. A few rounds chinked at the armor plates, ricocheting without scoring any damage. The _Sturmoviks_ passed over the tanks, leaving a thunderous roar in their wake. They quickly started to gain altitude and banked eastwards, flying away from their enemies.

_As long as we're moving they'll have a hard time hitting us_, Maria thought. Looking to the other side, she saw the _Hetzer_ moving further north, breaking formation.

"Simone, tell Anja to stay in formation," Maria barked to the mike. She knew Hippo Team was brave but strafing runs like that were known for having an impact on the crews. She herself was trembling, her right hand starting to shake with a will of its on, regardless of how strongly she kept her fingers clenched around the machine gun handle.

"Look, it's another pass!" Niekisch, the commander of the Anteater Team, yelled. Maria's attention drifted to the _Marder III_, where the boy stood upright, pointing to the sky, and then to the tail of the formation. Another flight of Il-2s was descending over them. This time the Soviet pilots didn't even care to use their guns. The wings of the attack aircraft erupted in fire and smoke when the rockets they carried came alive, dashing into the German armored vehicles.

Air strikes with rockets were known to suffer from very poor accuracy. Soviet pilots quickly understood that in order to have a higher probability of success against their enemies they had to saturate them with projectiles. In spite of their relative inefficiency, such attacks were always impressive. The impact of the rockets was nothing like the previous strafing run. The ground literally boiled with explosions, overturned mud flying high and washing over the armored hides of the German war machines, while a ponderous bellowing washed across the landscape, engulfing the snarl of the engines and Maria's screams.

Only one rocket hit its target, but it was more than enough to break the formation. It found its way to the exposed fighting compartment of the _Marder III_ and detonated, the ammo stored inside of the vehicle exploding a heartbeat later. The main gun jumped out of its mounting and flames erupted through the driver's hatch, the vehicle coming to a screeching halt while the rest of the squadron moved past it, the crews oblivious to what had just happened.

They did notice the hellish barrage. When the ground exploded around their tanks the drivers changed direction, trying to make themselves a harder target. Leopon Team moved further to the right, disappearing behind a hill. Maria didn't even realize it. She'd covered her head when the explosions started and couldn't take her eyes away from the burning husk of the _Marder_. Her mind was blank and her jaw trembled. It took her a moment to notice the voice screaming through her headphones.

"Maria!" It was Meike. "What do we do?"

Maria blinked and looked around. The remaining tanks were spread all over the place, moving without direction. She needed to bring herself together or no one would make it.

"Keep moving forward and stop atop that hill in front of us! Simone, tell the others to follow us and stop when we do!" There was still a mission to fulfill, Maria thought. They couldn't give up or else their sacrifices would be in vain. The other vehicles then started to realign with the lead, the _Panzer IV_ dashing forward well ahead of them. They were also starting to fall back into formation. That simple fact gave Maria a sense of pride and even hope. They could still pull that off...

"Anja's asking where Anteater Team is," Simone said. Her words made Maria look over her shoulder, to the burning ruin now getting farther and farther away.

"They didn't make it," she replied, unable to hide her sadness. Simone said nothing more, but what else was left to be said?

More aircraft approached, this time coming from the left. But they didn't attack outright, instead making a distant pass westwards to assess the damage the previous flight had done.

"What were they thinking?" Maria mumbled to herself. "This is hopeless."

Having finally reached the stumpy hill, the _Panzer_ took little time to crawl to the top. Under Meike's precise driving it came to a halt right on the summit, wobbling slightly. Maria had reached for her binoculars to inspect the enemy, but discovered they weren't needed. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open when she saw at least twenty armored vehicles progressing across the green plains, with dozens of troops stacked over them. To Maria the formation seemed massive, and yet she knew that was but a minuscule portion of the true might of the Red Army.

Two T-34s opened fire as they saw the German tank peeking over the hill but the rounds went too wide. It seemed that Maria's worse fears had come true.

There was no way that plan would work.

* * *

The two _Sturmoviks_ that had made the recon pass moved a little further to the west before turning back. Although the tanks in the plains were obvious, along with the pillar of oily smoke rising from the destroyed vehicle, the rest of the German troops in the surrounding woodland weren't. Standing in the edge of the forest Roy spotted the aircraft with his binoculars before they could see him. Some of his men were also observing, but from the relative safety of the tree trunks behind him.

Plumes of dark smoke erupted around the Il-2s when a battery of 88mm guns hidden on the other side of the woodland started firing. Roy had given instructions to keep the skies clear while the tank squadron was out there, although now it seemed that they had moved out of the range of his anti-aircraft artillery. One of the Soviet planes burst into flames and fell from the sky with a desperate screech. A large fireball marked the crash site.

Roy believed that the Soviets would probably try some counter-battery fire really soon. The other _Sturmovik_ descended to avoid the flak, only to bring itself within the range of the machine guns positioned along the trees. Tracer fire pierced the air, but the aircraft seemed to fly through it unscathed, coming even lower and passing just over the tree tops. In spite of the hellish cacophony Roy still heard Sergeant Fuery approaching him.

"How's it going?" he asked without turning back to his subordinate.

"They've lost one vehicle and there's another one unaccounted for," the young sergeant replied, his glance also focused on the pillar of smoke ascending from the remains of the first _Sturmovik_. "As far as I know they still haven't found the Soviet lead elements."

Roy gritted his teeth. He knew that operation was risky, but now there was a real possibility that the Baderberg Tank Squadron would end up annihilated without having achieved anything. He turned to Fuery.

"And the _Luftwaffe_?"

The sergeant shook his head. Roy nodded, disappointed but not surprised. The _Luftwaffe_ had stopped being a true fighting force a long time ago, but there was still hope that at least a few aircraft could take to the air for long enough to make even a desperate plan work.

But that wouldn't happen. The girls were on their own.


	11. Hell on Wheels

XI

HELL ON WHEELS

"Meike, take us out of here!"

Truth be told, the massive armored formation in front of them was difficult to miss and Meike had the _Panzer_ going in reverse even before Maria finished her sentence. A round hit the top of the hill shortly after the tank disappeared behind it. Anglerfish Team was midway down the slope when Meike stopped the tank and made it turn over one track, to proceed to descend even faster.

The rest of the squadron was gathered at the bottom of the hill, the commanders and some of the crews peering through the open hatches.

"I think they're coming," Maria told them.

"Let's get moving them!" Just to drive his point home, Erwin tapped the armor plate in front of his hatch.

The four vehicles quickly dashed away, but Maria didn't felt very confident about their chances. She was still considering her options when she heard Anja calling from her right. The _Hetzer_ was moving alongside the _Panzer IV_, the commander with most of her body out of her hatch and her hair waving at the wind, like a Valkyrie from myth riding some fabulous beast.

"Where's Leopon?" she asked. Maria simply shook her head, prompting Anja to grit her teeth in frustration. "I knew it!"

"They didn't abandon us!" Maria wanted to add something else, only to be interrupted by two rounds that exploded behind the tank formation. Looking back she saw some Soviet tanks had already climbed the stumpy hill. They were too small to be T-34s but Maria didn't felt like taking any chances. She yelled to her mike, "Simone tell everyone to move left. We're going to use the hills beyond the stream to cover our retreat."

She noticed Anja was still looking at her, a tense expression on her face. "So we're doing this?"

Maria nodded and the other girl sunk back into her hatch. The squadron was already turning left, although in an uncoordinated fashion. The StuG III almost rammed the M3 when it crossed its path, but once they reached the bottom of a small hill they had managed to form an irregular column, led by the American-built tank. Maria had studied the maps Colonel Messner provided during the short briefing and, if memory served her well, the terrain further south should be uneven enough for them to escape. It could dissuade the Soviets from pursuing and falling into the trap the Colonel had prepared, but for now safeguarding the lives of her people was Maria's top priority.

The stream was right ahead now. It was rather small and calm, barely ten meters wide. As the tanks approached it they formed a line, the commanders slightly nervous to make the approach.

"You think we can make it across?" Erwin asked.

"One of the _Oberst_'s men said it was no more than a meter deep," Maria replied. "We'll make it. Just be careful."

The vehicles entered the stream as slowly as the situation allowed, their weight making them adhere to the bottom as they advanced into the deepest part. The water was shallow indeed, not going over the mudguards. The engines did howl louder, dark oily smoke pouring out of the exhaust pipes, but the vehicles crawled forward.

It was then that disaster struck. The engine of the M3 Medium cough and wheezed, and then went silent, the American tank coming to a sudden halt. Realizing what had happened the other crews halted too, just a short distance away from the opposite riverbank. Rattled by a panic, Augusta promptly looked into the fighting compartment.

"Turn it on!"

Constanze was pounding the start button, without effect. "It doesn't work!"

Noticing their panic, Anglerfish Team throttled backwards, placing the _Panzer_ beside the M3.

"What's going on?" Maria asked Augusta.

"It won't start!" the commander of Rabbit Team replied, almost yelling in her despair. Maria felt her stomach sink. Since the squadron had already lost another vehicle and a crew that day, they couldn't afford any more losses.

"We'll have to tow it," she said almost without thinking. Maria climbed out of the hatch and slid to the engine cover of the _Panzer_ _IV._ The core of the tank purred underneath her feet, shivering almost as fast as her own heart. Moving swiftly, she took a rope from the chest placed on the right side of the hull. It seemed to be thick enough for what she had in mind. It had to.

Around her the crews peered out of their hatches, trying to discern what she was doing. Looking up, Maria saw Ysabelle's confused gaze.

"We need to tie this somewhere," she told the loader. The girl searched around.

"Here!"

Maria handed her one end of the rope and she tucked it around the supports welded to the turret to bare the extra armor. Trustingly Maria left her and Hanna tying it and turned toward the idle M3. She swallowed thickly. At first the plan felt reasonable enough, but now the American tank seemed too far away, the water around it too turbulent and cold.

She couldn't think too much about this. So, Maria inhaled deeply, shaking her head slowly while she dispelled the sudden sense of doubt. She pulled her leg back, gained balance, and then jumped over the water, landing squarely on the back of the massive American tank.

"What are you doing?" Augusta asked.

Maria raised her end of the rope. "We need to get this through somewhere."

The two tank commanders tuck the rope in some handles in the back of the vehicle. On the opposite side of the line Anja yelled anxiously. "Move on with it! We don't have much time."

"Give us the rope," Erwin cried. "We'll find a place to tie it to."

Part of the crews of the two tank destroyers were now on top of their vehicles to help out with the plan. Maria leaped to the StuG and handed Erwin the rope. The boy with the military hat, along with Caesar, quickly went to work. Once he was satisfied with the knot he passed the remaining of the rope to Anja.

"I offer you this, fearless vice-commander," he yapped. The girl simply grumbled something and went to work, helped by Monica.

With her plan now well underway Maria jumped back to the M3, giving the rope a final check. Again, she questioned her judgment. Could that rope, thick as it was, truly pull 20 tons of heavy metal? Her contemplation was interrupted by Ysabelle's panicked cry.

"They're here!"

Turning around she glanced at the hills behind them and immediately froze with terror. A group of strange green angular war machines was now coming over the top of the hill. The Semovente self-propelled guns captured by the Red Army from the Italian elements of the _Ostheer_ looked almost alien, little more than lightly armored superstructures on tracks. The leading unit rolled down the slope as it aimed the slender muzzle of the 47mm main gun protruding from the opening in the front of the hull. Although small by current standards, that weapon would still wreak havoc on the immobile German tanks.

Muffled moans came out of Maria's mouth. She barely heard her friend's cries, her own muscles stiffening in face of the incoming doom. They had been lucky thus far, but now it was all over.

_Act..._

Through the corner of her eye she saw the other crews, most frozen solid with fear. Erwin and Anja waved maniacally, bringing their people into motion. But it was too little. Maria was the leader, she had to do something.

_Act._

Inertia was the worst thing a leader could do in war time. Right or wrong, action was preferable to inaction. One could die or live if the decision taken was wrong, but would die nonetheless if she stood idle. Right in front of her, the Soviet vehicles kept coming. The leading Semovente da 47/32 opened fire, but the round went too wide and exploded on the opposite riverbank.

_Act!_

The thought screamed inside her skull, breaking the spell in one desperate swoop. Maria barely recognized her voice when she cried her orders to her people.

"We're done! Now move forward!"

That did the trick. The commanders returned to their hatches and got back to leading their crews while Meike revved the _Panzer IV_'s engine. Maria looked over her shoulder to check once more on the tanks now tied together. It was then that she noticed Augusta looking straight ahead, her jaw dropped in almost reverential surprise.

"Leopon..."

Maria followed her gaze. On the opposite riverbank a massive beast of war growled as it rolled over the top of a hill, bouncing down as it passed over the peak. Then it halted, the massive 88mm gun seeking for its prey. A faint sense of relief washed over Maria as she eyed the Tiger tank.

"Martin."

* * *

Martin held to the side of his hatch when the tank bounced onto the slope. When the Tiger finally halted he brought up his binoculars. The girls seemed to be bogged in the stream, with the Soviet spearhead right on their heels. If they'd arrived just a little later...

"Seems we arrived right in the nick of time," he said into his mike. The radio had broken down during the encounter with the Il-2s, so long-range communications were out of question, but the intercom still worked just fine."Hössler, Sulzberger, fire at will."

Then he fell back into the hull. He certainly didn't want to stay in the open when the massive gun started doing its grisly work. Inside the turret Hössler slammed one of the big rounds into the gun's breech before looking through the commander's copula.

"SPG, right ahead!" he yelled. "Fire as ready!"

"I see it," Sulzberger replied. "Firing!"

He depressed the trigger. A thundering blast echoed over the hills when the armor-piercing round burst out of the gun's muzzle, wrapped in flames. A single heartbeat later the lead Semovente self-propelled gun exploded, the superstructure shattering into a thousand tiny debris that fell all over the landscape. Immediately the other Soviet tanks spread to the flanks of the formation, trying to get out of harm's way.

"Hit," Sulzberger said in a leveled tone. Hössler kept searching for targets.

"T-34, twenty-five degrees to the left."

"Saw it. Firing."

The second round hit the squat T-34 directly in the engine compartment. Shattered metal bounced around the hull and the tracks broke and kicked all over the muddy slope. The ruined vehicle immediately came to a halt, the engine compartment burning ferociously.

"T-34, thirty-two degrees to the right."

"Where? Never mind. Firing."

That one was hit in the flank, the tower kicked out of the hull by a blazing pillar of flames. By this point the tables had turned completely. The Soviets had no idea the Tiger was there, having focused a little too much on the lighter tanks. Going directly for the kill, they weren't ready to defend themselves when the 88mm shells started falling all over them, the firing of the massive gun reverberating over the hills like a thunderstorm in a clear sky.

A fourth round aimed at a tiny L3/35 tankette, probably another vehicle taken from the Italians, failed the mark, but Sulzberger got a hit on the next shot. Two T-34s made the hill explode around the Tiger, but didn't managed to score a hit. Yet another of the fast Soviet tanks would fall before their commander decided to call off the attack and pull his men out of the killing zone.

* * *

The chaos allowed Maria to organize her people, the three working armored vehicles dragging the stalled M3 out of the stream. Once they were on dry land again Rabbit Team, helped by members of the other crews, opened the M3's engine cover and frantically went to work to bring it back to life. It took them ten long minutes before the Wright R975 engine coughed and shuddered, and then roared wildly as it came back to life.

Maria stood among her people, her hands and face already covered in oil when the engine revved underneath her and puffed sooth all over her. Ysabelle, Constanze and Aaron where there with her, everyone sighing and laughing in relief as that second miracle happened.

"All right, people, pack up and get back to the tanks," the leader told the others after hopping back to the ground. Hanna handed her and Ysabelle a pair of towels she had dipped in the stream while they worked on the M3 so they could clean and at least make themselves more presentable.

While she scrubbed her neck Maria eyed the Tiger that had stood guard for the whole time. Martin had climbed to the glacis of the tank and now looked down at them. It made her recall the Allied trooper from a week ago - a sentinel moved by ideals higher than the war itself. Something that Marco had been once, before he was lost to the SS.

It didn't take long for everyone to return to their posts. Once Maria noticed that she ordered the tanks to link with the Tiger on the top of the hill. Martin greeted the other crews as they approached with an infernal cacophony of whining steel tracks and growling engines.

"You took your sweet time!" Anja yelled at him. "Why didn't you reply to our calls?"

"Radio broke down," Martin replied, pointing to the tank under his feet. "The aircraft kept pestering us for a while, so we had to go around and link with you here. It seems it ended up being for the best."

"I'm glad you came back for us," Maria said, smiling at Martin. The young soldier smiled back at her, nodding slightly.

The humming of aircraft flying overhead broke that moment of brief respite. Maria looked around. There was a small patch of woodland to the north, from behind which ascended thin pillars of black smoke. Tracer rounds slashing the sky in search of the Soviet aircraft betrayed the presence of German troops. She turned to Martin.

"How much fuel do you have?"

"Enough."

"Very well." Maria eyed Anja. "Martin and I will try to draw their attention. You take the others with you and rejoin with the _Oberst_."

"You'll be exposed, there!" Anja retorted.

"Do not worry, those machine guns will provide us cover. We'll get back to base as soon as we can, all right?"

There was no point in complaining at the moment, so the vice-commander of the Baderberg Tank Squadron assented in silence. Then she turned to Erwin and Augusta.

"You heard her! Let's get back to the barn!"

There was no doubt in Maria's mind that they would be safe. Anja was a competent leader and the Soviets were certainly going for the big prize that was the Tiger. Maria couldn't just leave Leopen Team on their own, though. She wouldn't leave anyone else behind, she was certain of that. Looking at Martin's face she saw, again, that determination to fight that made him so similar to her own brother. A true man of war who wouldn't give up until he was either dead or victorious.

"Martin?" That was all she needed to say.

"Lead the way, _Führerin_," he declared before going back to his post. Time to get back on the move. Maria spoke to her mike.

"Meike, take us to whatever is producing that smoke."

"Understood," the driver replied. The _Panzer_ _IV_ wobbled forward and then started accelerating over the wet grass.

"What is that place, anyhow?" Hanna asked. She was inspecting the smoke with the gun's aiming scope, but with the forest in the way she couldn't see what it was.

"Maybe a factory?" Ysabelle queried.

"Maybe," Maria replied. "Although this is a strange place to have that."

With her curiosity incited by the conversation, Simone peeked into the turret basket. "Maybe it's an outpost and they got pounded by enemy artillery?"

"Maybe. For now I just want to take those aircraft away from our back."

Followed by the massive Tiger the _Panzer_ IV led the way to the forest. That skirmish was entering its final stage, but the squadron wasn't out of danger just yet.


	12. The Tipping Point

_"The world must know what happened, and never forget." _

Dwight D. Eisenhower

* * *

XII

THE TIPPING POINT

The droning of their engines caught Maria's attention. The Il-2s were back to hunt them down. She only had time to wave at the Tiger and give a warning cry to Meike.

"Turn left!"

Surprisingly agile, the Soviet fighter-bombers banked right, descending over the German tanks with a dreadful screeching. The small bombs fell from their wings as they passed by their targets. Fortunately for her, Maria had already sought cover inside the turret when the ground exploded around the tanks. To her right a tree had been cut in half and fell into the forest with a loud clatter.

Scared as she was Maria knew she had to keep her situational awareness. So she squeezed her body through the hatch and searched for the fighters. In front of her a machine gun trailed them, chipping the skin out of the wing of the one to the right. The Il-2 started pouring smoke and both aircraft turned away to vacate the area. It seemed her plan had worked after all...

It was then that the two tanks finally cleared the trees. The unknown German position was now in sight but Maria didn't know what to think of it. A tall wire fence crested with barbed wire surrounded the whole space. Here and there, there were watch towers crewed by men wearing the black uniforms of the SS. More shocking were the man packed against the fence itself, their skinny hands holding to the wire, their sunken eyes watching the retreating Soviet aircraft with dwindling hope. Their stripped uniforms identified them as prisoners, but Maria couldn't conceive what kind of crime they were in for. The smoke columns came from some buildings standing a little further into the camp.

In order to seek refuge under the machine gun cover the two tanks halted in front of the main gate, their backs against the fence while their guns watched over the routes that the Soviets could take to attack them. But there was no enemy in sight anymore. Maybe they'd decided to call it a day and try again some other time. It would make sense.

Feeling the adrenaline slowly draining from her body, Maria looked at the Tiger. Martin was once more standing in front of the turret, also looking at the strange camp.

"What is this place?" she uttered.

"I think I've heard about this," Martin replied. "I just hope I'm wrong."

Ysabelle had also opened her hatch to investigate. The stench from the men and the buildings beyond the fence assaulted her senses mercilessly.

"What? Where did you heard about this?" She wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but Martin heard her. He exchanged a glance with Hössler, who had also opened his hatch to check on what was happening.

"In Berlin," Martin said. "There are rumors about a plan the_ Führer_ conceived to get rid of the undesirables..."

Both Maria and Ysabelle reacted at the same time. "Undesirables?"

"Yes," Hössler said, "the sub-human."

Maria felt a sudden urge to vomit, covering her mouth instinctively. Her eyes returned to the malnourished men stacking against the fence, their eyes now focused on the girls and their tank. The guards were also reacting to the presence of the vehicles and talked among themselves, some yelling instructions. The reason for such commotion became evident when the gates opened and a man wearing a full SS officer's uniform walked out of the camp, surrounded by four armed guards. His badges identified him as a colonel.

"I'm glad to see you," the colonel said as he walked towards the Tiger. "I wasn't informed we were getting reinforcements."

The situation didn't please Martin a little bit, but he tried to keep his stance while he talked to the SS.

"I'm sorry but that's not the situation, sir," he told the man. "We were just using your machine guns to keep the enemy aircraft at bay."

"Is that so?" The colonel crossed his arms and glared at the young tank commander, evidently unhappy to be repudiated.

"We will never join the likes of you!"

Maria's sudden intervention caught the men by surprise. The colonel, especially, turned to the _Panzer_ _IV_ with an expression of pure incredulity. His eyes rested on the girl standing on the tank's commander's hatch, her eyes looking down at him with a fire that disarmed him for a moment and almost made him ignore an apprehensive Ysabelle beside her and a curious Simone climbing to the tank's glacis.

"I don't know what is happening here," Maria said, contempt very patent in her voice, "but we won't be part of it."

The colonel seemed to have not heard a word, as he simply stood there staring at her, his mouth gaping open. When he finally managed to pull himself together he exploded with consternation.

"What is the meaning of this?" He pointed at Maria. "Get down from there!"

If she had such power the girl would have fulminated the man with her eyes. Martin noticed her fingers clutching around the grip of the roof-mounted MG42. Although he didn't believe Maria would simply gun down the SS colonel he had to admit she had been through a lot lately. Who knew what a person could do in such a situation? He decided to intervene.

"I'm sorry _Oberst_, but we have our orders. We weren't told about this place and we won't linger around more than we need to."

The colonel was now foaming with fury. He spun around to face Martin again.

"How do you dare? Do you know what this uniform represents, kid?"

Very calmly, Martin nodded. "As far as I care it represents a branch of the German Armed Forces. We're from the Army, which means we're part of a different chain of command, hence why we owe you no favors."

Taken aback by the girl tanker's existence and the insolence of both commanders, the colonel was once again slow to form a proper reply. The short silence allowed Maria to calm down slightly and come to the conclusion that they had overstayed their welcome.

"Martin," she called out. "I think the Soviet troops have pulled back for now. Let's use the opportunity and get back to the base."

"What?" By this point the colonel would seem almost pathetic if not for the atrocious state of the prisoners in the camp under his command. "What is happening here? You're obeying her? Do you think this is a joke? We still have a lot of important work to complete over here! You have to help us!"

No one was really interested in replying to the man, except for Simone who had gotten fed up of his arrogance by that point.

"Well, if you're so inclined then please send your complains to _Oberst_ Messner of the 77th _Panzergrenadier_ Battalion, _Herr Oberst_," she spat at him.

"That will be all," Maria added, her voice sounding strangely cold. "Have a good day."

Without another word the tanks resumed their march, this time moving westwards to rejoin with the remaining members of the 77th _Panzergrenadiers_.

* * *

Most of the trip back to the temporary command post was made in silence. No one really had much to say after such a morning. Fortunately there weren't any more incidents along the way. Radio chatter was filled with panicked communications about collapsing lines and undeterred Soviet advances. Berlin was encircled, about to fall, and there wasn't anything they could about any of that, at least at that moment. Thus they returned and hid their tanks among the trees. Kirstein was already there, waiting to summon them to the Colonel's tent. Messner wanted a proper debriefing.

"In the end we didn't manage to lure the enemy into the trap," Maria told the colonel after having described the battle, "and I've lost more people and equipment."

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone took in the fact. The colonel was with his back turned towards Maria and Martin, squeezing the cap in his hands and looking over the map spread over the table in the center of the tent. Maria could notice he wasn't really paying attention to the map but instead had some ghosts of his on to contend with. He certainly knew much more about the overall situation that she did and his tension wasn't a good omen.

"Do you remember what I've told you?" he asked her. "What was it?"

What was it indeed? Everything was so confusing back there. All she knew was that she didn't want her friends to die.

"Anteater Team was a sacrifice, they allowed us to get to the enemy." Maria tried to sound certain, but her voice cracked with doubt and regret. "Losing a tank or a crew member on the stream would have been a waste. That's how I see it."

Slowly, Messner turned towards her. "Good. Something you did must have worked, though, because the enemy gave up on trying to get to the town. I can only assume you've gave them a proper scare."

Maria's eyes widened at those words. She didn't expect to find any sort of success by the end of that day.

"I'm glad," she said in a wavering voice.

"Don't count yourself out of the woods just yet, Nitzschmann. They will certainly try again in the next few days and we were ordered to stand our ground here."

That was why he was so tense. Messner had been given an order he could not agree with in any way. He would have to waste his men in the pointless defense of that town. On the other hand, wasn't the defense of Germany pointless by this point, anyhow?

The colonel sighed. "Good work you two. Tell the same to the others. Now go get some rest."

Martin started to turn away, but Maria stood where she was, prompting the other tank commander to give her a surprised glance. Messner noticed something wasn't right.

"What is it, Nitzschmann?"

The question Maria wanted to make felt wrong and yet she knew she could not get out of there without making it. She trembled, her throat dry. Then she spoke.

"_Herr Oberst_... what was that camp?"

Messner stiffened all of a sudden. Around him his command staff also seemed to be aggravated by the question, most of them looking away, certainly without any desire to explain the girl what she had seen there.

"Nitzschmann, this is not the moment," Martin whispered to her.

That did it. Maria clenched her fists and leaned forward, "No! This is the right moment! What was that, Messner? Aren't we a civilized people? Are we fighting for that?"

The uncharacteristic outburst had caught everyone by surprise. Martin, like the others, reared back as her high pitched yelling filled the command tent. Although few people would say it openly, most of the officers and some sergeants in the 77th had a certain admiration for the young tank commander. She was calm and composed even in the direst of situations, exactly what a leader should be like. Such a blowup was something they had never imagined possible.

On the other hand Messner kept his composure, his dark eyes glaring at Maria.

"Watch your tone, _Führerin_," he said with a gravelly voice. "You have best remember who you're talking to."

"I know!" Maria kept yelling at him, although her voice was now getting weaker, her slender body shivering while her eyes got teary. "That's why I'm asking. You know what that was, don't you?"

Now all eyes turned towards Messner. Some of the people around him knew what she was talking about, while others had been so occupied with the war itself they barely knew what was happening out of the battlefields and were as curious as she was. The colonel looked away from her, thinking on the subject for a moment. Then he locked his eyes onto hers.

"That is the reason why I want to give the German people as much time as they can to make an acceptable peace with the enemy. That's a death camp, _Fraulein_. People are sent there to die and some among our glorious leadership think it to be a sacred duty we must enforce. We have been doing that all across Europe, especially to the East. The Soviets will never forgive us for those crimes. They are being merciless, and they will kill and rape as much as they can to make us pay."

He'd said that deadpan, without emotion, but still he shivered while the words escaped his mouth.

So that was it. The suspicion she'd had since she laid eyes on that... thing was completely confirmed. She covered her mouth, giving two involuntary steps away from Messner.

"Was that what you wanted to know?"

Trembling, Maria lowered her hands, leaving them hanging on the sides of her body.

"Do you agree with that?"

Messner reacted without thinking, his hand slamming on the table, making a sound like a rifle shot. Now he glared daggers at her. It wasn't difficult to imagine that if he had the power to actually set people on fire with his mind he would have done that by now.

"What do you think?"

The girl couldn't stand that glare. She looked at a point somewhere above his head and saluted.

"I'll join my people now."

"You do that..."

Maria turned away and strode out of the tent. She thought to have heard Martin call for her, but ignored it. She wanted to be alone, so she turned around the tent and walked for a couple minutes without thinking where she was headed, her mind blank and tears rolling down her cheeks.

After a while she leaned against a large 88mm cannon hidden among the trees. Maria wanted to puke, to scream and to cry all at the same time. Was that why they were fighting? Was that why her people were dying? Was all of it a complete waste? Everything?

"Nitzschmann?"

Looking up Maria found Eren in front of her. The young man had his steel helmet on and the rifle strapped around his shoulder. He had probably been guarding the guns while the battalion recovered from the last fight. His face was a mask of preoccupation as he noticed her state. Given that she was simply staring and saying nothing Eren came closer and insisted.

"Maria, are you all right?"

Then, the girl burst into tears. She lurched towards Eren and sunk her face in his chest, bawling loudly, letting everything go out at the same time. Knowing not what to do, Eren simply embraced her. Maria shivered more intensely, so he held her more tightly.

"It's all right," his whisper barely registered to Maria as she unleashed all of that accumulated tension, loss and sadness.

* * *

He had followed her, concerned that someone from the squadron could see her in that state. Morale was already low as it was, no need to see a respected leader falling in shambles like that. To Martin's surprise, Maria had quite a stride for someone of her height. For a few seconds he thought he might have lost track of her in the middle of the forest. He finally saw her when the turned around a set of tightly packed trees.

She was near a big 88mm gun, in the arms of a grenadier. Leaning against a tree to stay out of sight, Martin looked at the young man. It took him a second to recognize the young soldier that had been making double turns to protect the motor pool in the windmill. Eren Jäger. He also seemed dismayed with Maria's state, but held her tightly, even patting her gently on the head while she shivered and cried in his arms. Martin even noticed this look in his eyes, a gentleness that wasn't common in someone so young. If it was gallantry or something else he did not know, nor did he want to.

Fortunately, there was no one else in sight. Better give the two of them a moment so the commander of the tank squadron could recuperate. Martin had no illusions, there were terrible trials in store for them still. At least he hoped Maria could find some solace for her troubled mind. It was the only way she could lead them to survival, even if victory was impossible.

Crying wasn't a crime in itself. Everyone had their breaking point and beyond that he'd seen how resolute Maria could be as a leader and how much her past had made her into someone able to fight and win. He would keep following her. Later he would have a moment alone with her so they could talk about those ghosts behind their struggle. Because there was something more to that battle than the madness of the regime. There were people in Berlin who would pay for those crimes if the enemy got their hands on them. For them they would have to endure.

The Red Tide had come to claim them all...

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**CLOSING NOTES**

For a while I was afraid of writing this chapter. This was because of a couple reasons: either because I thought the theme could be too controversial, or that it could get the story into unnecessarily dark territory. Then again, I came to the conclusion that I should really not hold any punches, and that the girls needed to know the full scope of all that was at stake. This wasn't just an enemy invasion, but for many it was plain and simply vengeance, and hopefully this will tie down with the main themes of the next episode.

With that said, next time we will finally have Katyusha, after that sneak peek from back when in the end of Episode One. I don't know when I will start posting Episode Five, though. There is still a lot of stuff left to do, but I will eventually post it, unless something unexpected happens. And I really want to make the next episode because we will finally delve into the Soviet faction – I'm actually quite excited for that.

With no more ado, I'm hoping I'll see you again in the next episode,

"The Red Tide"


End file.
